Within You
by Jane Owen
Summary: She did not know it, but whenever she was ready, she could call upon me and I would give her the adventure she had long desired.... The Labyrinth and beyond from Jareth's POV. COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hello all. This story is a bit of a self-indulgence. I am the type of woman who likes to see what the man _really_ thinks about the leading lady in my stories. Although I have found a few fan fics from Jareth's POV, I wanted more. Yes, it's nice to hear what a sexy beast Jareth is, but I like to imagine that he has wonderful thoughts about Sarah...can't we all dream that a man is thinking about us that way? Especially one who is powerful and mysterious? (Not saying that I am anything at all like Sarah...I just like the idea of his thoughts) So, like I said...self-indulgence :-D.

This is my first time trying to write a character that someone else created so, please bear with me. I have read other peoples' fan fics, but I have never researched the books and other information on the Underground and Labyrinth like so many others have seemed to. This comes almost entirely from my imagination based off the movie.

Each chapter will start off with a quote from the movie that will be a "theme" for that particular chapter. Although this prologue is done in essay form, this will be the only chapter where there is no talking. I hope you enjoy it! Oh...and reviews are much appreciated! :-D

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_**But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers.** _

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It wasn't her smile that first attracted me, though the mixture of innocence and intelligence portrayed on her lips was a sight to behold. And it wasn't her eyes, which changed with her mood from a sea green, almost cerulean shade when she was sad, to the dark green of a deep forest when she was thoughtful, to fiery emeralds when she was angry. No, although these two features in her face captivate me still today, it was the way she twirled in the sunlight, letting the cares of the world leave for a moment to simply _be_, that first garnered my attention.

I would come to the Aboveground to search for her often. At first it was merely curiosity. She was so different than the other girls her age, and I wanted to understand why that was. Most of the young ladies I had witnessed walked in groups—they did not want to seem outside the norm. Their discussions ranged on topic from the latest fashion to the latest celebrity crush, with only superficial dipping into more intelligent conversation. In short, they were boring and predictable.

This girl, however, preferred to walk alone; to spend the day with her imaginary friends, rather than engage in the latest gossip. Although she spent much time by herself, it wasn't from a lack of social etiquette. She knew how to communicate efficiently with her peers, and she was often sought after for companionship, from both males and females. Yet time and time again I watched her come up with excuses as to why she couldn't make this date or that. Instead, she would head to her favorite park, sit on her favorite bench, and act out her favorite stories; preferring to live in the world of make believe.

Of course, she was never allowed to live long within the trails of her imagination. She seemed to live by the clock; the hours spent between responsibilities were carefree and she would glow with relaxation. But then the clock would gong--breaking her from her fantasies--and the glow would fall from her face, leaving me heartbroken.

The need for an adventure was strong within the gentle body of the fifteen year old girl. She was on the verge of adulthood; one foot in the world of make-believe, the other attempting the step over into the bonds of "real-life". She no longer wanted to be treated as a child, but she had yet to learn the simplest fact of life: that it is not always fair. I often heard her utter words in complaint of the cruelty of life and how she was being treated unfairly as she ran to fulfill her teenage duties. It was the most childish aspect about her.

Eventually, my observations grew more and more detailed. She would pile her long, glistening black hair on the top of her head, tendrils falling out of place as she moved and swayed to her adventures, but remove the clip and let her hair cascade down her back when she was ready to head back to the real world. I could tell by the slight curve in the corner of her mouth whether she felt angry, melancholy, or content. And strangely enough, my moods began to shift with hers. When she was sad, my heart ached. When she was happy, I was enraptured. When she was angry, I sought revenge.

It was that last emotion that allowed me to realize that I no longer thought of her as a child, but as my future. When I looked at her, I no longer saw the woman-child that she was, but instead I saw the strong-willed, intelligent woman that she would become. I had fallen in love with her. And I desired to be with her always.

I was willing to wait—although I was not oblivious to her natural beauty, I knew that she was not yet mature enough for a romantic relationship with a full-grown adult. But I still desired to be part of her life, to fulfill her dreams. I followed her in my owl form, and more of my heart was given to her. And as my love grew, so did her power over me and over my kingdom. She did not know it, but whenever she was ready, she could call upon me and I would give her the adventure she had long desired.

All she had to do was wish…


	2. Chapter 1

_**Because that's the way it's done.** _

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"_Oh! It's not FAIR!"_

I heard her scream these familiar words as the bell tolled for 7 p.m. and chuckled within. When would my Sarah finally grow up? I longed for the day that she was mature enough to recognize the realities of life, however I enjoyed her youthful exuberance and a part of me wished she could remain innocent forever.

Leaving my perch above, I followed her from a distance—just to make sure she was safe. She trudged through life, unaware of the dangers lying all about her; so trusting and so full of her own perceived invincibility. With my keen, predatory owl eyes, I could see her from quite a ways off; I doubted that she even knew I was nearby. A part of me was pained by that realization. I wanted her to know me, to become as obsessed with me as I was with her. But she thought I was merely a figment of her imagination. I was a ghost on the wind.

At least I knew that I was in her dreams. I had firmly implanted myself there through her most beloved book, "The Labyrinth". Sarah had received it as an anonymous gift for her fifteenth birthday, packaged in a bejeweled treasure box, and left on her doorstep. The red leather binding with gold lettering immediately began to fade as she memorized every detail.

It had taken me months to write. I wanted to include each of her favorite treasures so that the adventure could come to life easily for her. But it also needed to include clues as to my character. I wanted her to know me as intimately as I knew her. And the way she devoured the book, showed me that she was intrigued by my world. One day she might truly believe enough in it to call on me…and I would appear. I would fulfill her dreams.

As I watched her wander in to the house, arguing with her stepmother as usual, I flew up to my familiar perch outside her bedroom window. Unbeknownst to her, my goblins were already inside, protecting her from within. They were tied to me; I was tied to her. If anything happened to her, they knew that the effects would be felt on them, so they looked after her from the shadows, ready to be of use if she should need them.

She did not know it, but she was my future, my match, my reflection here in the Aboveground—or rather, I was her reflection through a foggy mirror. The folly of youth still clung to her, yet I could read her character; she appeared to be innocent, yet I knew her dark secrets and her inner strength. Contrariwise, she would think of me as a villain—and I would play my role well—but nothing is ever quite as it seems.

My heart burned with jealousy as my subjects hid under her bed and in her toy chest. Just to be allowed in her room, to be amongst her things, would be a small slice of heaven. But I refused to allow myself that privilege until I was called upon. And I knew it was just a matter of time. I could feel it from deep inside.

Her parents left and I sighed a deep sigh of relief. Sarah always seemed so unhappy when she was near her stepmother. I hated to see the bitterness in her eyes—she should have the joys of youth. I was resolved that tonight would be the night when I made her dreams come true.

Although my powers Aboveground were limited, I could control the lightening during a natural rainstorm. Once I knew the baby was afraid of the thunder, it was a simple matter to keep it coming—his cries would make her feel helpless and she would react as the book directed her. A part of me hated that I was manipulating the situation—I wanted her to call on me by her own free will—but I quieted that small part as the rest of me desperately wanted to speak to her; to behold her with the eyes of a man.

I guessed her reactions right. The sound of her baby brother's cries began to grate on her nerves. She ran into her parents' bedroom, and in desperation, she began to tell him her favorite "story". A twitter escaped my lips at her dramatic flair, sounding nothing like the masculine laughter I heard within my head.

"_Oh, Toby! Stop it! Stop it!" _she screamed in frustration before threatening, _"I'll say the words." _

My heart leapt. I had thought, based on my observations of her, that this might be a day where she would give in fully to her fantasies, but hearing her promise it was almost too much. I waited, hanging on her every word as she continued to rant.

Eventually, she tipped back her head and yelled to the sky, _"Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!"_

Once again, her flair for the dramatic sent me over the edge, but this time it was in disappointment. Could she tone it down and make a simple request? My heart sunk as she started to leave the crying baby. Tonight wouldn't be the night we would meet face to face after all.

Just as I was about to leave her parents' balcony, it happened. She let her guard down and spoke from her heart—even though that heart was tired and hurting, and saying things it shouldn't. Her voice grew soft, the barely concealed sigh of discontent sat heavy on her tone.

"_I wish the goblins would come and take you away. Right now."_ And the words that would bring us together were finally spoken.

The response was immediate. The goblins listened to her, recognizing the power from within that called to them—_my_ _power_—and the baby's cries stopped as he was transported to my castle. The room went dark.

"_Toby? Why aren't you crying?"_ she called. The goblins snickered in response and she gasped in fright.

I felt an overwhelming desire to rush to her, to hold her in my arms and comfort her. I even went so far as to beat against the window in my owl form. But I held myself back. That was not what she was expecting and I refused to disappoint. The Goblin King from her book was powerful and unyielding. I would have her see me for the strength of my position first. She would meet the man behind the majesty in due course.

Besides, I looked forward to playing this game with her. I was willing to be her villain if it meant bringing her to maturation. Sarah was exciting and interesting. All she wanted was a little bit of perspective, which I was more than willing to help her acquire. With her intellect and will, she would grow to be worthy of my Kingdom.

The stage was set. Sarah looked frantically around the room for her baby brother, to no avail. My goblins continued toying with her, enjoying her reactions and savoring every silent shriek. It was time for my entrance, and I would make a grand one at that.

The window flew open and I allowed her to gaze upon me in my majestic darkness. Viewing her with my own eyes was a treat, but I wore my carefully controlled mask, merely allowing a smirk to play across my lips. She could not be allowed to see the depth of affection I already held for her.

I desired her for my own, but I had to know she was strong enough to rule beside me. The Aboveground was soft, how would she fare in my world? She was intelligent, but was she cunning? She was stubborn, but was she brave? She could stand up to her parents, but could she speak boldly to a king? For her to love me, she had to be challenged by me. It was the way it must be done.

I began my tests immediately.

"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King." She queried, though the question was more of a statement—she would know me anywhere.

My smirk deepened in response and I nodded my head slightly.

Her voice was melodic. I allowed her to continue with her request for her baby brother. It amused me that she denied wanting him gone. It was a bold-faced lie. When she spoke those words, they were spoken true. She had wanted him gone, and I had removed him for her. It was her guilt requesting him back, not her.

After some verbal sparring, I offered her the first test in steadfastness. "Sarah, go back to your room. Play with your toys and your costumes. Forget about the baby."

"I can't" she whispered.

I brought a crystal to play in my hands and thrilled at the look of curiosity that came in her eyes. That she was impressed by the crystals movements was obvious, and the warmth of pride filled my chest. Of course, she wasn't aware of the power within the glass bubbles and asked me what it was.

"It's a crystal. Nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. But this is not a gift for an ordinary girl who takes care of a screaming baby. Do you want it?" I smiled as I offered her this gift that I didn't want her to accept.

Once more she affirmed that she could not leave her brother behind. Although I was expecting her, and even _wanting _her to stand up to me, a part of me hated to be challenged by a mere human. I was a king. I was to be feared. She needed to be taught that lesson.

"Sarah." Her name, spoken through my lips, sent an electric current of joy down my spine, but I kept my face smooth, even threatening. "Don't defy me." The crystal in my hand turned into a viper that coiled intricately around my wrist. Her eyes widened at the display of my power. Narrowing my eyes, I stretched the snake between my hands and threw it at her face, but at her touch I allowed it to turn into a silk scarf. The goblins liked that trick, and the room was filled with their hidden laughter.

"You're no match for me, Sarah." I warned. '_But hopefully by the time I am through with you, you will be.'_ Once again, I attempted to keep the depths of my emotion from showing, yet she had to have seen the twinkle in my eye as my lips quipped into a smile at our little game.

"But I have to have my brother back."

Stepping back, I opened the doorway between our two worlds and gave her the first glimpse of her dreams. "He's there. In my castle."

She stepped forward, drawn by an unseen force. Her eyes widened with longing as her fantasy world came to life before her. In a voice of wonder, she asked me if that was the castle beyond the goblin city.

I had to get a warning to her somehow. My heart thrilled to have her here with me, but I was not going to make this easy for her. She wanted the story, the adventure, and I was going to give it to her. "Turn back, Sarah! Turn back, before it's too late." I made my voice carry softly on the wind, haunting her with my own dramatic flair. However, the words came out sounding bored—I didn't mean them, but I knew she wanted to hear them, so I said them for her.

"I can't. Don't you understand that I can't." There was not a single ounce of fear in her voice, just a touch of petulance. She was so filled with her own childish sense of strength, that even now—after I'd allowed her a glimpse of my power with the snake and the opening of the Underground—she thought she was invincible.

It was frustrating. I admired her courage and yet, it caused my own will to rise to the challenge. I needed to show her my power and it wasn't going to be pleasant for her. "Such a pity."

"It doesn't look that far," she cheered herself on. She turned to face it straight on and I was struck with the way her glossy hair blew like a raven on the breeze.

I crept behind her and allowed myself to briefly indulge in her scent. "It's farther than you think," I crooned into her ear, breathing deeply of the crisp, spicy rose aroma that lingered at the base of her neck.

Stepping away, before my arms had a chance to wrap around her waist and draw her to me, I continued, "and time is short." I pulled a clock out of the horizon and displayed my might once more by reordering time to suit her needs. Never turning my back on her, I slowly walked away, allowing myself to fade with each step. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us, forever."

The words, "such a pity" ghosted on the wind as she was left alone.

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**A/N **I know there was a lot of copying from the movie in this chapter so I hope you didn't get too bored. Since this story is about Jareth, we will be spending much of Sarah's time in the labyrinth seeing what Jareth was doing (obviously in my mind :-D). I will be pulling out key conversations with her, but I will try not to bore you too much with dialogue you probably already know by heart.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Just wondering…did anyone else out there try to wish themselves out to the Goblin King when they were growing up? No? Hmmm…just forget I ever mentioned that then…


	3. Chapter 2

_**You remind me of the babe.** _

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I returned to the castle in high spirits – our first meeting had gone better than planned. So far she was fairly predictable, following my story plot as if it was a theatrical performance. I had expected nothing less. Although she understood that life wasn't fair, she still felt like there was an underlying order to how things should work –I had yet to teach her otherwise. She would learn soon enough that she can't take things for granted. Then the intellectual competition would truly begin.

Pulling a crystal out of the air I watched a wicked grin of anticipation spread across my face before the reflection in the bubble filled with Sarah. Few things delighted me more than mind games with those truly up to the challenge, and I had little doubt that she would be a great competitor.

I lounged in my throne, hanging one leg over the armrest apathetically, as the green-eyed beauty came into view. Sarah had made it into the Labyrinth and was running along its endless outer corridor, her long hair billowing behind her like a cape. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. _'Open your eyes and see what's around you!'_ I nearly screamed at the ball in my hand as the young woman within beat on the wall in frustration. My impatience to interact with her battled my pride in my craftsmanship – the labyrinth was meant to be difficult. I forced myself to have faith in this disparate young woman. She would figure out where to begin soon enough and I could begin to mold her into the woman I needed her to become.

The doors to the throne room opened and I sighed as my quiet was disturbed. My subjects were drawn to my magic – recognizing immediately when I had returned. It was a wonder they had waited this long before moving their never-ending party into my presence.

At least this time they had some excuse. "Your Majesty," announced the raspy voice of a small bundle of fur at my feet. "Here is the lad." He handed me the boy in the candy cane pajamas and bowed slowly away – his hands folded across his chest, leaving the impression of a giant hairball blowing across the floor.

I didn't acknowledge him – I rarely acknowledged any of the goblins. They were kept around for my amusement and I, in turn, saw that their city remained guarded and untouched by the more intelligent beings that lived outside the labyrinth.

The Underground was once filled with groups of creatures that went against societal norms. They made up their own rules for how to live and those rules conflicted with the accepted social order. They were called savages by the more _civilized _members of society, and needed to be disposed of before they could infect mainstream culture. Many tribes had been eradicated through mass genocide in the belief that it was the "right thing to do".

The goblins had been next on the agenda until I interceded on their behalf. I, too, lived outside the norm and recognized in these simple-minded creatures a way of life that needed to be protected. Where other fae saw an unwillingness to conform, I saw a society where emotions were allowed free-reign. The others saw dirty, disease-infested, talking rodents; I saw creatures that were too busy living life (such as it was) to bother with the mundane tasks that led to cleanliness.

When I built the labyrinth, I invited all the persecuted peoples to live within its sanctuary. As outcasts in the other realms, they had little choice but to hide for survival. Here their lives had purpose and they lived in harmony with the goblins whose city the labyrinth protected. In turn, they were completely devoted to me for my generous protection and worshipped me for my magical powers.

But they were lowly creatures, often forgetting a task halfway through completion. Orders had to be given clearly, with an attention to detail, if they were expected to be followed. It was rarely worth the effort.

In many ways they were similar to the human toddler I was holding at arm's length—except _his_ intelligence was expected to increase a hundred fold. It had been a while since a human baby had been left in my presence. Generally, the moment they are wished away, I assimilate them into the community – no need to keep a crying child around to add to the cacophony that filled my throne room on a daily basis. But then, few people cared to try to rescind on their wishes.

The whiny little chap was squirming quite ineffectually in my arms. Situating him on my knee, I studied the boy that was the cause of all this trouble. He wasn't much to look at, but there was something about his eyes…

"Your Highness!" shrieked one of my messengers as he came storming through the throne room doors, kicking chickens and rats out of his way in his hurry. He bowed low before my throne, waiting to be addressed before giving his report.

I rolled my eyes at him and flipped my gloved hand in a gesture of impatience. "Yes, Yes. What is it?" These creatures could be so irritating at times.

"My Lord. The Stone Caller has escaped again! What should we do?"

I stared at him, dumbfounded once more at the goblins' inability to do anything besides eat without constant direction. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I attempted to refrain from yelling at the imbecile. "Send out the guards and find it. We cannot allow it to run loose in the labyrinth, especially at a time like this. Tie it up and keep it _away_ from the girl. Understand?"

"Yes, my Lord." His helmet fell off as he bowed. Another goblin snatched it up and a fight ensued. Soon several goblins of various shapes and sizes jumped into the fray, loving nothing more than a good brawl.

"Get going!" I snapped, causing the goblins to scurry away and the boy in my lap to start crying. His face scrunched up so that his eyes were barely visible behind his chubby cheeks and his lower lip stuck out like a slobbery bird perch.

Handing the baby to one of the goblins nearby, I tapped my foot in impatience with my crystal-tipped riding crop. Although the riding crop I used for a scepter was far from flashy, it served its purpose in keeping my subjects in line, and it was the perfect length for soothing my irritated nerves. A large golden rod would be too heavy to swing around all day long.

The boy began wailing, the sound piercing my ears and giving me a headache. Sensing my souring mood, and recognizing the precarious ledge in which they were placed, the goblins began walking him around and dangling chickens in front of his face to try to calm him. When his cries refused to be soothed by the monstrosity known as the goblins, I decided to take action; I could be charming when I wanted to be.

"You remind me of the babe." I intoned to a warty little goblin with a crooked, bird beak nose. A sly wink garnered the baby's attention, and I launched myself into a full-fledged musical number with the goblins croaking out back up. Soon the boy was smiling, even outright laughing as I kicked goblins into the air and danced him around the room. His laughter was infectious and I found myself smiling back at him, something I rarely did in the presence of my subjects – perhaps because he didn't need to be told to laugh at my antics.

When he wasn't crying, the baby was actually kind of cute. He had an impish quality about him that reminded me a lot of myself. The next nine hours and twenty three minutes might not be that bad.

Sometime during the song, another of my messengers entered the room. This one was a little more hesitant to enter my presence, choosing to cower against the wall until I took notice of him—something I was sure to do, since this was the communication for which I had been waiting.

I beckoned him to come closer and he slunk forward before speaking in a slightly quavering voice. "Sire, the girl has made it to the Doors of the Knights and Knaves. What would ye have me do?"

"Aw, Piggle. Chances are good that she will make it past those doors intact. When she does, I want you to find her and take her back to the beginning." I waved my hand dismissively and turned back to the rosy-cheeked human in my lap, who in turn, laughed and pulled on my hair.

Shoulders hunched, and eyes locked wide in perpetual fear, the dwarf hurried from the throne room and headed back to the shortcut through the labyrinth – at least I didn't need to worry about him obeying my simple instructions.

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**A/N **- Just a reminder, I have not read any of the supplemental books or any other labyrinth studies. I am basing my Jareth off of my own interpretation of his character and I'm making up my own history of his world (although I did get some ideas from some of the more popular themes from the fan fiction on this site). Although I won't be dwelling too much on the rest of the Underground, I thought it was important to understand why the goblins put up with him…so I made up a reason :-D. So, anyway, for all of you who know way more about the "real world" of the Goblin King, please forgive me if I don't hold to the "script" and I hope you enjoy it anyway :-D.

In response to one of the reviews…Yes, I have been showing him as a romantic…because he thinks he is a romantic at heart, but (as with most men), his ideas of "romance" aren't always the same as Sarah's. Also, unlike most of the fanfics I've seen on here, I am trying to make it clear that his love for her is not selfless—although he thinks it is—it is, like everything else in his life, for his own amusement. Hopefully you will start to see more of his darker "crueler" side here soon, when things start leaving his control.

Oh…and these first few chapters have been really short and I apologize. That's not normal for me so I am guessing that future chapters will be longer…but since, like I said in the beginning, this is mostly self-indulgent, we'll see :-D.


	4. Chapter 3

_**You sure got his attention!** _

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"She's in the oubliette."

My heart ached as I watched her through my crystal. The oubliette. A place to send someone when you want to forget about them. But I didn't want to forget about Sarah. I didn't want to think of her being left somewhere to rot. She, who was so full of fire and life, should not have to see that fire extinguished in a lonely, damp hole.

But I also knew that would not be her future. This was _my_ labyrinth—it worked according to my will. And I willed for it to be a game for her, not a torture chamber as it had been for countless others. Oh, she would think I was being cruel, but I was doing nothing to injure her permanently. She would come out of the labyrinth unscathed, and hopefully, all the better for the many challenges I sent her way. In the end, she would see that everything I did was done for her and she would love me for it. She had to.

Of course, I hadn't expected her to be so _good_ at my game. She was supposed to have more difficulties, require my assistance. _Need_ me. She was moving much too effortlessly, and I was man enough to admit that it irritated me.

The goblins' laughter at her fate was maddening. "Shut up!" I yelled, quieting them immediately. "She shouldn't have gotten as far as the oubliette; she should have given up by now!"

"She'll never give up." Chimed a particularly annoying little goblin, its voice grating my nerves as it spoke its unwelcome thoughts.

"Won't she?" I murmured almost to myself. A part of me wanted her to give up; to have her go back to her toys, costumes and games. To allow her to continue in her childhood innocence and show her that she was not ready for the world of which she dreamed.

To defeat her and show my power over her.

"The dwarf is about to lead her back to the beginning. She'll soon give up when she realizes she has to start all over!" I chuckled as I imagined her frustration. The goblins made no response to my joke. _Morons_. "Well? Laugh."

And they did.

The goblins did exactly what I said, when I told them to do it. They were mindless drones. I longed for a companion, someone to challenge me. Not an equal – that was not to be expected – but at least someone who was capable of an individual thought.

Looking down at the boy playing on the floor, an idea formed. Sarah was what I longed for, but what if she didn't beat the labyrinth. What if she wasn't worthy? Did I have to turn the child into a goblin? Just because I would be denied my mate, did not mean I had to be denied an heir. That thought had possibilities…

I put that thought in the back of my mind and eagerly looked into my crystal. My messenger should have gotten there by now. Sure enough, I watched as he lit a candle to illuminate the room.

"_Oh, it's you!"_

Now why did she sound so happy to see him? An emotion I couldn't quite grasp burned in my chest at the look of excitement on her face. Like he was her _hero_; a preposterous idea! And yet, she hadn't looked at me that way when I saved her from her boring life and brought her here. _I _was her hero, not that warty little dwarf.

She would soon despise him when he brought her back to the beginning. That thought gave me a glimmer of anticipation and I leaned closer, examining the scene from every angle; waiting for her to look at him with disgust.

He told her of his plans and she yelled at him, gratifying me a little. But she still wasn't repulsed by him. I didn't understand. She was a beautiful young woman and he was thwarting her plans. She should be angry at the little worm!

And what was that? He _touched_ her! He put his hand on her arm, _comforting_ her. It was all I could do to remain in my throne room. He touched _my_ Sarah.

I took a deep breath. He seemed to recognize how inappropriate he was being and backed away. But Sarah was more observant than I gave her credit for.

"_You like jewelry, don't you?"_

Aw. She was a tricky one. I could see her capturing the dwarf's attention. She offered him a bracelet in exchange for his assistance. But he was smarter than that—and much too terrified of me. He wouldn't go for such a foolish deal.

He attempted to make his own deal, which she declined. I smiled. She was a fighter. She wouldn't give up her _jewelry _for an unworthy cause. Even when all seemed hopeless, she would stand her ground. Poor Hogsmith. I would have to find another way to get her out of that oubliette…

But then she got to him. Her eyes really were bewitching when she wanted something, but I wouldn't allow it to be all her doing. He _wanted_ to help her. I watched that dwarf weasel his way into Sarah's life—losing his loyalty to me over a simple plastic bracelet!

And for that smile she gave him, he would receive an extra special punishment.

I readied myself, changing into more relaxed attire. I wanted her to see me as her champion; powerful, yet approachable. Then I transported myself to the end of the tunnel and waited, disguising myself as a beggar. What would they think of this twist?

They were close enough now that I could hear their footsteps. The warning stones began their scripts. Drawing a crystal from one of the stones, I drew it, and Sarah, to me.

"Aw, what have we here?" I said in my best old, blind, beggar goblin voice.

The dwarf wasn't fooled. "Uh, nuthin'"

"Nothing, _nothing_, tra, la, la!" I threw my disguise down on the ground. How dare he claim that nothing was going on! He touched her!

He had the nerve to pretend to be happy to see me. I got a small bit of gratification from his jumpiness – he was still scared of me.

"Hello, Hedgewart." Although I attempted to sound soothing, the words came out gritted between my teeth.

"Hogwart." Sarah corrected, as if I cared.

"Hog-gle!" The dwarf insisted. I was slightly mollified that Sarah hadn't cared enough to learn his name either. It made my tone a little more civil as I continued.

"Hoggle…Can it be that you're helping this girl?"

"Helping? In what sense?"

"In the sense that you're leading her towards the castle!" I was growing tired of his evasion.

"No! I was taking her back to the beginning, Your Majesty!"

I looked over at Sarah and got the response I'd been waiting for—she looked at him with disgust.

"What!" she demanded, her voice thick with betrayal.

But Hoggle wasn't a complete idiot. He knew better than to openly defy me. "I told _her_ that I was going to help her solve the labyrinth, a little trickery on my part, but actually…"

I didn't let him continue perjuring himself. "Hoggle, what is that _thing_ around your wrist?" I allowed him to blabber on for a moment before I interrupted, standing up straight, radiating my supremacy over this short, nothing of a dwarf, "If I thought for one second you were betraying me, I'd be forced to suspend you headfirst in the Bog of Eternal Stench." I said it calmly, with assurance. He was lucky I hadn't already sent him there. He _touched_ her!

"Oh, no, Your Majesty! Not the Eternal Stench!" he begged, grabbing on to my thigh.

"Oh, yes!" I said as I kneed him and sent him flying against the wall. That felt good.

Turning to Sarah, I studied her slowly from head to toe, spending extra time on the expression on her face. There was a mixture of fear and something else…admiration, perhaps? She was maturing before my eyes, and I liked what I saw.

Sauntering over to her, I leaned against the wall, hovering just inches from her face, entrancing her with my eyes. Her pupils dilated in attraction and I felt my own preeminence – she was not immune to my seduction. She stood her ground, not afraid of my close proximity, and I once again allowed myself to breathe in her natural spicy rose aroma. My fist balled up at my side to keep from caressing her face. She was mine, but I would not force myself upon her. She would come to me.

My voice lowered in response to her femininity; instinctually seeking to display my masculinity, "And you, Sarah. How are you enjoying my labyrinth?" _'How are you enjoying me?'_ The unspoken question hung heavy in the air.

She lowered her eyes shyly, a natural response to my commanding presence. She was unsure of herself, unsure how to relate to someone of my abilities. A small smile played on my lips as I reveled in her innocence.

But then she surprised me. She lifted her chin and looked me directly in the eye, "It's a piece of cake." Her voice dripped with defiance and it hit me like a slap in the face.

Such insolence! How dare she insult my labyrinth? I would not permit myself to think that she was rejecting _me_ – _that_ was not an option.

Obviously, she needed another example of my power. "Really? Then how about upping the stakes?" Pulling a clock out of the air, I moved the hands ahead two hours. It wasn't personal; she thought the labyrinth was easy. I was just giving her more of a challenge.

"It's not fair!" she shouted in that petulant tone of which she was so fond. To think I once thought that endearing.

"You say that so often," I sneered. "I wonder what your basis for comparison is." The last part nearly came out as a growl as I stepped past her and moved down the tunnel, already formulating another lesson for her.

She had no idea with whom she was dealing. She had yet to witness my strength. My love for her was what kept her safe, but it was time for her to see how truly generous I had been until that point.

Raising an eyebrow, I turned to face her. "So the labyrinth is a piece of cake is it?" With a wave of my hands, I drew her attention downwards, fanning my fingers out between my hips and pulling a crystal up from within. I knew that I had dressed to accentuate my…manliness, and I got a perverse pleasure from the blush created as she inadvertently stole a peek. But the object of this lesson was not to teach her the attributes of a man – she needed to learn respect.

"Let's see how you deal with this slice." My voice rang out in the stillness as I threw the crystal down the tunnel as far as it would go. I had told her they held her dreams, but they could hold her nightmares as well. Perhaps I was a little bitter…

I remembered seeing a picture on her shelf, possibly a video game, although I had never seen her play such mundane toys. The picture showed a ball of blades used to clean out tunnels and chase after the character in the game. That obstacle should work perfectly here.

I could have left her alone then, I thought about it. I should have forced her to find her own way out of that mess. But once again, I allowed myself to be generous to her. Hating her was beyond me.

With a flick of my finger, I weakened the wall just before the tunnel closed off at a large iron gate, creating a hidden door. If she pushed into it, the wall would fall and she would be allowed an escape to the hedges. If not, well, I would not permit her to be seriously injured. The cleaners would return to a miniscule size at the first touch of her skin, but the game would be over for her. I hoped she'd find my way out.

With her thus occupied, I made my exit, ready to head back to the castle to cool off. But first I needed to see the Wiseman. She would undoubtedly stop his way when she escaped, and I needed to get her thinking about me.

Standing in front of the old man with the bird hat, I couldn't help but smile. Although he put on a show for most creatures, he was one of the few goblins that could actually carry on an intelligent conversation. If I could keep him from falling asleep on me, I would have actually enjoyed having him around.

I cleared my throat and he immediately awoke. "Ahem. Your Majesty. What can I do for you?"

"Old man, a young woman will be coming through here shortly. She will be seeking your advice on how to make it to my castle. I want you to help her."

"Ooo! A young girl!" the annoying bird on his hat had the gall to speak in my presence. I shot it a glare, but the Wiseman berated it before I could take action.

"Be quiet!" he shouted, and then looked up at me. "Mmm. Yes. Mmm. What would you like me to say?"

That was the tricky part. It needed to be cryptic – something that she would think had multiple meanings involving the labyrinth itself– but it also had to ring of wisdom so that she would trust it. Placing my hand on my chin, I tapped my nose with my gloved index finger. Finally, it was decided. "Tell her, 'the way forward is sometimes the way back.' Then add, 'Often it seems like we aren't getting anywhere, when, in fact, we are.'"

That should do it. Would she understand the deeper meaning? That to move forward into my kingdom, she would have to embrace the dreams of her past. To find happiness, she would need to go back to the time when she trusted others, and let people in; well, let _me_ in. She must go back to her childish things and realize that they are nothing in comparison to what she could have. I could give her everything she ever wanted.

The second was much more straightforward. It might not seem like we were connecting, but with every step into the labyrinth, she was getting to know my true character, and I became more aware of hers. Sure, she was infuriatingly naïve, but she was also intelligent and capable. She was giving me a challenge, a thrill that I had never felt before. And she had not escaped my wiles. Despite her defiance, I felt her attraction. She was bewitched by me, drawn to my power and strength. She was going to pretend that she was unaware of her feelings, but I could see deep in her soul.

She was mine, and she knew it.

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**A/N** – I hope I satisfied everyone with this chapter. It was as struggle to make him dark, yet alluring…David Bowie does it better :-D.

Anyway, thank you so much for all of your reviews. They really mean a lot to me! I hope you liked this chapter. If you did (or even if you didn't), I'd love to hear from you! Reviews make my day and really give me encouragement!

The next chapter includes the scene with Hoggle…I love the jealousy vibes that I get from Jareth between the two of them. That scene will be fun for me to write. Then the following chapter will be the long-awaited ballroom scene :-D So stick with me!

Have a wonderful day!


	5. Chapter 4

_**I'm surprised at you, losing your head over a girl!** _

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Most humans would run screaming from large, orange monsters that required four goblin guards to subdue – even if those goblin guards were incompetent. But not Sarah. No, she had to go running for the first howling monster she could find. She just had to take precious time – time she could have used to move further into the labyrinth – to rescue an overgrown orangutan.

_Stone Callers._ What a bothersome bunch of beasts. I might as well call a demolition crew to tear down my labyrinth then have a bunch of stone callers walking around. Thankfully, Sarah was managing to keep it out of trouble, and I probably would have let him alone if she hadn't piped up and called him "friend".

My hand crumpled around the wine goblet, spilling the crimson liquid all over my throne's armrest. I threw the deformed piece of metal across the room, hitting a rather tall goblin with a bulbous nose directly between the eyes. Fits of laughter erupted around him and the ill-mannered wretch joined in as he took the crumpled cup and attempted to catch any remaining drops of wine on his tongue.

I barely noticed their antics.

_Friend_. She bestowed that title on any creature that she helped, yet try giving _her_ what she wanted and you become the villain. She was impossible to please!

"The labyrinth is a 'piece of cake' is it?" I muttered under my breath. She still had no idea the power her words and over me. And yet, no matter how much she wounded me, I could not stay away from her; could not stop thinking about her. Her eyes, as they stared up at me defiantly, were forever imprinted in my memory. So cruel and yet, so captivating.

Drawing up another crystal, I watched as she faced the Knockers between the Hedge Maze and the Fiery Forest. She had definitely matured in her time in my labyrinth – the old Sarah would have been too _kind _to force her way through anyone. This new, determined Sarah was willing to challenge others to get what she wanted. It was enticing.

I chuckled as her crueler tendencies showed through once more. She could easily have removed the ring from the Knocker's mouth once the door was opened, but she thought she'd leave it there as a gift – obviously because he was so unwilling to help her in the first place. We were so much alike, she and I.

I leaned down to pick up the boy. Patting his back, he babbled something that sounded remarkably like "Dadda" before letting out a small burp. "You're welcome," I said with a smile as he reached for my crystal. His curious little hands studied the ball, fascinated with the colors within. He was fun to behold, lightening my mood simply by his youthful exuberance.

"He's a lively little chap. I think I'll call him Jareth. He's got my eyes…" Bouncing him on my knee, I made a decision. I most definitely would make this child my heir – provided Sarah failed to become my Queen.

I returned to watching her, ever cognizant of how she moved through my labyrinth as if she owned the place. She fit there. She fit with me.

"_Ludo scared."_

"_Aw. Give me your hand."_

My face twisted into a grimace as I watched Sarah reach out and take the hand of the big, hairy buffoon to lead him forward, actually pleased by his company. How easily she touched everyone but me.

This action would not go unpunished. With a wave of my hand, a trapdoor opened amidst the greenery and the stone caller was transported to the Bog of Eternal Stench. Surely she would give up when she had to face the Fiery Forest without a "friend".

_Piece of cake. _I snickered at her predicament and the goblins dutifully broke into a chorus of laughter.

"Shut up!" I commanded in irritation, handing the toddler to one of the nearby goblins and sitting up straighter in my throne. The boy's face lit up, he was learning to love these simple-minded creatures. He would make a great Goblin Prince.

"_Hoggle?" _

The crystal had continued to play Sarah's adventure for me and I cringed at the sound of the name. Hoggle had been smart to get away from her rather than face my wrath, so why did she continue to call out to him? What possible use could she see in that hideous dwarf?

Suddenly an idea came to me. She trusted him for unknown reasons. Perhaps I could get her to accept a gift from him that she would never accept from me. A slow smile came to my lips as I imagined a way to sidetrack her for good. No one could turn down their favorite dream.

Standing, I once more changed my clothes, this time into my most battle-like cape. The dwarf would need to see me as his commander, someone to be feared. The armor on the shoulder gave it just the right touch of authority and domination.

In an instant I had found the dwarf meandering through a cobblestone clearing in the forest. He rounded a corner and came face to face with one of my more artistic likenesses carved out of stone. The little dwarf had the nerve to make a spiteful gesture at it before moving on. Not the best way to get on my good side. As he moved past, I appeared behind him, leaning against the middle boulder that made up the chin of my half-carved face.

"_Hoggle! Help!" _Sarah's voice ripped through my heart. I took solace in the knowledge that it wouldn't be long before _my_ name was the one called through her lips.

"I'm coming, Sarah!" Hoggle said as he whipped around, the hopeful hero playing in his mind. Such a pity that was not his role in life.

He stopped short when he saw me, a mixture of surprise and horror painting his face. "Well, if it isn't _you_." I teased. He knew very well that there were no accidental encounters in my life. "And where. Are you. _Going_?" I emphasized each of the words, bending slightly so that he was certain to see the malice in my eyes.

"Uh, well…the little lady gave me the slip, but I hears her now…" I had to fight back a snarl when he spoke of hearing her call for him, spoke of her in such an intimate way—as if _she_ would ever need _him_. I quickly turned it back to my mask of nonchalance as he continued; seemingly unaware of what a dangerous precipice he was on. "So I was about to lead her back to the beginning – like you told me." The deceitful little twerp actually smiled at me as if I would believe a single word he uttered.

"I see." I said, playing along for his benefit. Inwardly seething at his bold-faced lies, I crossed the courtyard, elevating myself even more on the landscape to further remind him of my superiority. "For one moment I thought you were running off to help her. But aw, no…not after my warnings. That would be stupid."

"You bet it would!" He started backing up, attempting to get away without looking like he was trying to escape. He even managed to work up a phony laugh, struggling to act like he wasn't scared out of his mind by my very presence. "Me? Help her? After your warnings?" He turned his back and covered his face with his hands in an attempt to look like he was wiping away his mirth.

When he removed his hand, I was right there, down on one knee in front of him. I received great pleasure from watching him jump back, startled. "Oh dear! Poor Hoghead." I crooned in fake commiseration.

"Hoggle," he choked out.

As if I cared. I pulled him in closer and spoke into his ear. "I've just noticed your lovely jewels are missing."

He stared at me, eyes going wide – a child caught in the cookie jar – but he kept his wits about him and continued to lie right to my face. "Oh, uh, Yes! So they are. My lovely jewels…missing."

Sarah yelled once more for that infernal beast she'd lost and Hoggle's face immediately picked up. How dare he hope for her affection!

"I'd better find them," he continued, stepping away. "First I'm off to take the lady to the beginning of the labyrinth," he nearly ran for the path as he called over his shoulder, "just like we planned."

"Wait!" My voice halted him in his tracks and he reluctantly turned to see me standing on my mini dais once more. "I've got a much better plan, _Hoggle_." I pulled a crystal from the air and allowed it to roll fluidly from one hand to the next before tossing it to him. "Give her this."

It landed in his hands and became a peach. "W-what is it?"

'_None of your business!' _I thought, but I wanted him to give it to her so I figured I should play nice. "It's a present" The unspoken, 'obviously' was thinly veiled.

"It…it ain't gonna hurt the little lady, is it?"

He was taking the whole 'champion' bit a little too far. "Oh, now why the concern?" My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I won't do nuthin' to harm her!" Where did he get that backbone? He was beginning to irritate me.

"Oh, come, come, come, Hogbrain! I'm surprised at you, losing your head over a _girl._" Not that he had much of a brain to begin with, but for him to openly defy me was beyond stupid.

Hoggle's back stiffened as if he actually was going to take a stand against me. "I ain't lost my head!"

That did it. I moved forward menacingly. He needed to know his place. "You don't think a young girl could like a _repulsive little scab_ like you, do you?" I asked, jabbing at him with my crop.

"Well, she said we was…"

"What? Bosom companions? _Friends?"_ I sneered, mocking him with the seductive tone of my voice—as if she could ever prefer someone like him over _me_. Impossible.

"Ahh. It don't matter." His head dropped in shame. I had him beaten. Finally, he understood his proper place in my kingdom.

With his backbone broken, I picked him up by his earlobe, driving home my threat now that he was in a receptive mood. "You'll give her that, Hoggle, or I will dip you straight into the Bog of Eternal Stench before you can blink!"

"Oh. Right," he grumbled under his breath as he started to walk away.

But I wasn't done. "And Hoggle." He turned around hesitantly; knowing whatever I wanted wouldn't be beneficial for him. He was right.

"If she ever kisses you, I will turn you into a prince." It would never happen, but I felt the need to see how the dwarf truly felt about _my_ Sarah.

He didn't disappoint. "Y-You will?" he stammered, his face alight with hope. Even after our discussion, he still harbored an emotional attachment to her. Such a pity.

Spreading my hands as if to highlight a headline, I heralded his title, "Prince of the Land of Stench!"

The last thing he heard was my laugh as I faded away.

He was sufficiently scared of me now, but I was furious. I materialized in my bedroom and prepared to watch the dwarf give her the peach. She would take it from him, but it would be _me _giving her the deepest, unspoken desires of her heart.

Even now, she had no idea the trouble she had caused me. I had put my life on hold for her whims, and she refused to acknowledge my generosity. The dwarf seemed so secure in her friendship and he had openly lied to her. I had never lied to her, yet she trusted _him_ over _me. _ It boggled my mind.

Unable to stay away from viewing her, I pulled out a crystal and called up her image. Any minute now, Hoggle would find her and give her the peach. I was eager to see what her deepest, darkest fantasies entailed. She had surprised me often with her responses to the challenges in my labyrinth; what surprise did her dreams hold?

Sarah truly was a beautiful young woman. She was just coming into her own; just learning how to move her body so that her feminine wiles were used to her best advantage. The very way her hips moved spoke of good things to come. She was a delicate flower, a rosebud about to open to full bloom.

Yet that flower had bite. She had found her way to the Fieries and was in the midst of their dance. Once more I was impressed by her courage and determination.

Despite their propensity to remove heads, I had little doubt that she would make it past them unharmed. She was very resourceful. In fact, it was quite amusing to watch her take off _their_ heads and throw them – I hadn't known she had it in her. It lightened my mood somewhat to see that she was capable of confusing others besides myself.

She ran towards the cliffs, calling for help. A cold feeling filled up my chest when the rope lowered to draw Sarah away from the Fieries. Once again Hoggle was going to be seen to play the role of hero. She didn't know that I had sent him there. He was going to get all the glory. It was enough to make me want to shout out Sarah's favorite line.

As she reached the top, Hoggle came over to shoo away the flying heads. He wasn't even gentleman enough to offer her an arm to help her over the edge, but she didn't seem to care. My eyes widened in horror as she acted on my jest. She practically attacked him! How _dare_ she place those soft, rose petal lips on that crusty old dwarf! It was disgusting. Why in the Underground would she want to kiss him?

In my anger, I acted a little bit rashly. I didn't wait for him to be alone; she deserved to be punished for what she'd done. She _kissed_ him. Mere moments after they were reunited, she practically forced herself on him. This was not the Sarah I knew.

Let's see how she liked traveling through the land of stench. Perhaps after her jaunt there, she would realize how worthless that little dwarf really was.

Of course, Hoggle was not entirely blameless in this situation. He could have been a little less dramatic in his rescue attempt. But he _had _to play the champion. He had to live his fantasy of rescuing the beautiful damsel in distress. No, Hoggle was to blame for her indiscretion – she was merely overwhelmed by the moment. She wasn't thinking rationally, merely reacting to her mini-rescuer.

I walked over to my armchair and took a seat. Unlike my throne, this chair was actually comfortable. Surveying my room, I finally allowed myself to relax. This was one of the few places in the castle that actually remained clean. It was decorated to suit my more classical tastes, with a hint of the untamed that I loved. But it was too masculine. It was a bachelor's quarters. It wanted a feminine touch. I had been alone far too long.

Placing my head in my left hand, I wondered at my own inconsistencies. I _wanted_ Sarah – or at least, what Sarah would become. And yet, I vacillated between my desire for a queen and my desire to remain in control. I did not want her to beat me at my game, but in order to have her as my queen, she must be found worthy. It was a conundrum.

My challenges were serving my purpose in bringing about the maturity that was necessary in a good queen, and yet they were allowing her to follow the script that I had written all too clearly. Despite her obvious attraction to me, she refused to permit herself to see me as other than a villain. Was she strong enough to break free of the story and follow her heart?

Lifting my head, I peered into the crystal still clutched in my hand. Of course she had found that stone caller – it was just my luck – but the dwarf wasn't nearby. Perhaps he had gotten stuck in the swamp? That thought cheered me considerably, but it was too good to be expected. He was probably somewhere nearby hiding from the little knight.

Sir Didymus was a foolish creature, but his loyalty was second to none. He would guard that bridge with his life until the day he died. Sarah and the oaf stood there negotiating with the little fox. I had been specific in my instructions to him. None could pass without his permission, yet he could grant his permission to anyone he felt worthy to cross the bridge.

I knew that she would be found worthy, but I still felt the need to have a little fun. Her time in the bog had been much too pleasant for her. She needed a little challenge. As the fox tapped on the bridge, I flicked my finger, causing the bridge to crumble beneath her feet.

With another flick of my finger, I caused the branches to lower so that she was able to grab them. I had expected her to try to climb up or swing across, but the stone caller beat her to it. Howling out his siren call, the monster called up several large boulders from beneath the surface. She dropped to the makeshift bridge and quickly crossed to the other side, where Hoggle was waiting. I was right about his cowardice, but once again she didn't seem to care, readily grabbing his hand as he helped her off the bridge.

The others soon crossed and they were on their way. Curious, I kept my eyes on the dwarf as he held back from the rest of the group. He moved to the edge of the bog, and then looked both ways before moving as if to throw my peach into the bubbly green swamp.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." My voice echoed around him like a tornado for his ears only.

"Oh please. I can't give it to her." But he put it back in his pocket and moved forward. Properly humbled.

My little game and the reaffirmation of the dwarf's willingness to serve me had cheered me considerably and I made my way back to the throne room. The inhabitants of my kingdom had beaten me there and were busy playing with baby Jareth. The child was near impossible to resist when he cooed like that.

I picked him up and carried him over to my standing crystal situated on a statue of three bronzed goblin heads. This ball was slightly larger than the ones I materialized from thin air and his face lit up as he looked into it.

"Look Sarah, is this what you are trying to find?" I smiled down at the lad and he giggled. "So much trouble over such a little thing, but not for long. She'll soon forget all about you my fine fellow." Hugging him slightly around the waist, my tone became serious as I looked into the crystal once more. "Just as soon as Hoggle gives her my present. Then she'll forget everything."

The game will be over.

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**A/N** - Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had to get past the Fiery Forest quickly...those little guys scare me :-D. Next chapter is the ballroom scene. See you soon! As always, reviews are much appreciated!!! :-D


	6. Chapter 5

_**Every thrill has gone, wasn't too much fun at all.** _

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"_Hoggle! Thank you! You're a life saver!"_

'At last he gave her my peach!' I nearly shouted out loud, but I didn't want to confuse the goblins.

"Take the boy," I commanded as I handed the child to the nearest pair of goblins. Not waiting for a response—or even to verify they knew the boy was in their midst—I immediately transported myself to my bed chamber. No one would be allowed to view Sarah's fantasies besides me.

Moving to the window, I lounged on the sill and began to juggle my crystals between my fingers. It was a relaxing habit of mine, something I did to keep my impatience in check. She should have taken a bite by this time and it would only be a matter of moments before she fell asleep, opening herself to the world of dreams. Once she was fully under my spell, the balls would fill with those dreams; and I would bring her fantasies to life.

I didn't have to wait long.

As the images in the crystals became clear, I was surprised, and slightly disappointed by the amount of fables she had stored away in her memory. With such an inventive mind, I had hoped for something a little more original. That she played the heroine in each of the stories was not surprising – I already knew of her longing for an adventure – what _was_ unexpected was the indication that she identified most with the mild-mannered princesses, locked away by their evil step mothers to slave away. The evil stepmother part I understood, however, I always pictured her as a fighter, a challenger. Her dreams showed that she didn't want to be the _rescuer_, she wanted to be _rescued_. Fascinating.

It was Cinderella, with her wicked step siblings, who popped up most often in Sarah's fantasies. She desired to be romanced by a handsome Prince Charming. Yet, the "prince" in her dreams was none other than the Goblin _King_. I was more than happy to oblige.

One by one, I took my crystals and blew them to her in the form of bubbles on the wind. When she woke from her dream-like state, she would be surrounded by various aspects of her favorite fantasy, the midnight ball with her prince. All she needed to do was see inside the bubble and she would become part of that world.

I could feel it when my crystals were close, could sense her presence. She was light and energy, and my very essence was drawn to her. She was a magnet.

It was only moments before Sarah lost herself in her imagination and in a flash both she and I were transported to her ball. I couldn't help the smirk that came to my face. I had won. She had forgotten the baby. She would not beat the labyrinth.

She would not be queen. But she would be my subject. She had entered into my dream realm and was in my power for all eternity.

I sighed. It was a bittersweet victory, for I truly desired Sarah for my future queen. She was intelligent and entertaining – someone that would keep me amused when the goblins were grating on my nerves. She could be cruel and she could be generous. She was a fighter. I had been certain I had found my match in her, and yet she couldn't pass my test. Once her thirteen hours were up, she would no longer be eligible to be my queen.

I might as well enjoy what little time I had left with her. It was a ball after all. Unbeknownst to her, I froze time to allow myself the indulgence of a true masquerade. One simply could not be enjoyed properly in an hour. What would be minutes for those outside the bubble, would be hours for those within. But once the clock struck midnight, time would be restarted and the thirteen hours would be close to an end. What a pity.

Taking my stand in the center of the room, I waited for Sarah to find me; I was King after all, my subjects come to _me_, I do not go to them. The mask covering my face partially blocked my view of her as she moved her way through the revelers and I mentally cursed the inconvenience. With regal elegance, I lowered it slowly so that I could behold her beauty. What I saw wiped away all mirth I had felt at her falling into my trap. She took my breath away.

Her ball gown was made of the purest white silk; underscoring her innocence amongst my lascivious party guests. Yet her hair, her jewelry, and her make up were done in such a way that it was difficult to remember her youth. She was no longer the child she had been when she first began her quest—she had matured into a _woman_. My bride—if things had worked out in her favor.

And yet she _was _young. She wasn't quite ready for the adult world of her fantasies – the darker side of the ballroom that she hadn't known she desired. She looked around, lost and uncertain of herself; a child playing dress up, but not sure exactly what to do.

Our eyes met across the crowded dance floor and I watched as Sarah's countenance changed. No longer uncertain, she stared back at me with boldness, caught up in the moment. My heart surged. Her eyes were pale jewels and I found myself wanting to make all her wishes come true right then and there – I'd give her the sky if that was her desire.

She outshone all the other women in the room and it was my right to dance with her, but I held back, allowing her the opportunity to consciously realize that she wanted to dance with me. I was the man of her dreams. I wanted her to chase _me_ for a change.

As a guest moved past me, I transported myself across the room, delighting in her confused expression. She immediately began craning her neck, searching this way and that for a glimpse of me. The chase had begun.

What she was searching for was a new dream. She no longer remembered her brother; she wanted to find her prince. She longed for a love that would last for all time. I would make her wait just a little while longer, make her feel just an ounce of the heartache I had felt since I first discovered my (as of yet) unrequited love for her.

As various women intercepted me for a dance, sometimes several at once, my eyes were constantly drawn back to Sarah. I watched her interact with the other guests. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable with their salacious actions. She wanted her hero to rescue her from their lewdness.

And I wanted to give her the moon—but not yet.

It amused me to watch her look for me. She couldn't make sense of why she couldn't find me, even though at one point we separated merely by a large feathered fan. That she was so unobservant nearly made me want to laugh. And yet, some of the enjoyment was missing – I wanted to be there for her.

I watched as many of my guests leered at her. She was enchanting and it didn't surprise me that they would want to touch her. She was pure and virtuous – something they did not get to witness often. But it did make me angry. She was _my_ Sarah and I would not allow them to mar her innocence.

It was time to end my charade. She began to push and shove her way through the crowd and, as she turned around, I finally allowed her to see me. I was dancing with two other women; she needed to see that I was desired and have the opportunity to feel a little envious of their position.

She froze as our eyes met once more. Though I was virtually a stranger to her, she knew me. She was drawn to me just as I was to her. This time I would give in to her desires. I would be her _Prince Charming_. I would paint her mornings of gold and spin her valentine evenings. I would romance her. I would save her.

She wanted me. I was her hero.

My hands encircled her waist firmly as I collected my prize. When I had granted her deepest fantasy, I had simply wished to win a game. But now she was here in my arms and all I could think about was how right it felt. She should be my queen.

For a moment I forgot about the labyrinth, forgot about the game. I simply entranced myself in her eyes as she was in mine. We waltzed around the ballroom, never breaking eye contact. I could see into her soul. "But I'll be there for you as the world falls down," I sang to her, allowing the words to flow forth from my heart. It was just she and I, choosing a path between the stars; falling in love.

Then the clock chimed.

I watched her look around in confusion. Of course her fantasy would end when the clock struck midnight – that was when Cinderella ran away. Damn her lack of creativity!

I tried to keep her focused on my eyes, focused on our perfect fit, but it was too late. The story was already coming to a conclusion. She struggled out of my arms and to the side of my ballroom bubble, looking for anything she could use to escape. A nearby chair became her weapon of choice and I watched in frustration as she broke the crystal walls and fled from her dream world, thrusting me back into my bedroom.

Sighing, I slowly walked back to the throne room. Of course, she wouldn't get her memory back, she wouldn't remember to go looking for the baby, but I had hoped to spend the last hour with her as a princess – as a potential queen – before she became a mere commoner.

My heart ached as I realized that she was not the one for whom I had been waiting. She was not my equal. And yet I loved her. How was that possible? The labyrinth was designed so that only the person that I truly loved could defeat it. I had never loved anyone the way I loved her. She should be able to defeat it!

In my frustration, I kicked a few of the goblins that littered the pathway between the door and my throne. It didn't cheer me up as I had anticipated. I glowered as I sat and thought some more.

She could not be my queen, but I could still watch over her, could still offer her help when she needed it. After all, she was baby Jareth's sister. As sister to the heir to the throne she deserved some sort of special treatment.

Tapping the riding crop against my boot, I turned and surveyed my throne room. There were so many goblins littering the floor that you could not yawn without hitting a couple. How I had wanted a human companion with whom to share this throne room. The baby will be nice, but it will be years before he is even remotely capable of carrying on a conversation with me. I wanted a female companion, someone young and intelligent, who I could mold into adulthood so that when she was old enough, she would become the perfect bride.

Ugh! I had to stop thinking of Sarah. "You there!" I commanded, pointing to one of the female goblins that was chasing a chicken around the stone fountain in the middle of my throne room. "Where's the baby? Bring him to me."

She bowed away from me and opened a hidden door in the corner. The goblins had made a makeshift nursery for him when he seemed tired and had laid him down for a nap. Thankfully, he was an easy riser.

He was all smiles as she handed him over and I immediately felt better. I began to look forward to spending my days with the little chap. "In fifteen minutes, you'll be mine." I told him. He was a smart child, it wouldn't be long before he was ordering these goblins around himself.

He really did look a lot like me, which was as it should be. "You are a handsome little boy, aren't you?" I cooed. His answering laugh brought a smile to my face.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" yelled one of my goblin guards as he came storming into my throne room. I looked up and acknowledged his presence with the smile still on my face – his boisterousness would not irritate me with the baby on my lap.

"Your Highness! The girl! The girl who ate the peach and forgot everything!"

Away went the smile. Why did he have to bring _her_ up again, just when I was enjoying the thought of baby Jareth? "What of her?"

"She's here with the monster and Sir Didymus and the dwarf who works for you! They've got through the gates and they're on their way to the castle!"

"What!" It was impossible! Could she really have found her way out of my spell so completely?

A large part of me hoped that she truly would make it to the end, would be able to complete the labyrinth, but there was a section of me that remembered the baby in my arms – the new dreams that I had begun to cultivate. I wasn't sure I was ready to give him up yet.

"Stop her!" I yelled. "Call out the guards! Take the baby and hide it!" I commanded, handing him to one of the goblins. "She must be stopped! Do something! Come on…Move! Move!"

She only had twelve minutes left. She would never make it through the goblin city and find her baby brother in time. Would she?

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**A/N **– My sincerest apologies for taking so long to get this chapter up. I once heard it said that procrastination is a sign of perfectionism since a perfectionist holds off on starting things because they will never be as good as they imagine. Well, I am a closet perfectionist. I love the ballroom scene so much that I didn't want to ruin it and it took me forever to sit down and write this out. I still don't think I did it justice, but I did my best. Don't shoot me!

One thing that bothers me in many of the fan fictions I see on here is they make Jareth singing the entire song to her, but I always got the impression that she was in that ballroom for a long time. It seemed like the song was more thoughts he was having throughout the evening until they got together for their "final" dance before the clock struck midnight. _Then_ he sings to her. So that is what I did here. I hope you liked it.

Anyway, hopefully I won't take so long on my next chapter—though the "victory scene" is my 2nd favorite scene…

Also, just so you know, the next chapter is not going to be my last—I intend to have several chapters AFTER the conclusion of the movie…it did not conclude right in my opinion ;-).

Hope you like this. Please review!!!


	7. Chapter 6

_**For my will is as strong as yours.**_

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My throne room emptied and for once the stillness wasn't pleasant. It meant that we had an intruder that had made it past the city gates; a very rare occurrence indeed.

Sarah had regained her memory. She had woken from her dreams and chose to continue on her quest. It was admirable the amount of determination she could muster, however why couldn't that determination be focused on staying with me? She had been given her dreams and had thrown it away to…what? Rescue her baby brother from becoming Goblin King one day? Of course, she didn't know of my plans, but she probably would have still felt he needed saving, stuck as she was in the storybook world I had set up for her.

Leaning out the tower window, I watched the action down below. The goblins had followed my orders and she and her _friends_ were surrounded. Of course, my army probably hadn't thought through what would happen next, but surely they could hold Sarah there for another eleven minutes. That was all that was needed for me to win. In only eleven minutes, Sarah would be in my power and _remain_ in my power. There would be no breaking the spell then.

But my goblins were not capable of holding her.

Those incompetent fools had her surrounded, but they couldn't maintain order. One of the gunners got jumpy and released a cannon ball into a nearby house, thereby causing a distraction for her to escape. Thankfully, it was not hard to track the large orange beast. How she could think she could hide with that thing following her around was beyond me.

I watched as they holed up in one of the goblin hovels and were once again surrounded. Perhaps this time my minions would be more successful.

A loud, growling howl floated its way up to meet me in the tower and I knew immediately that the scales had just tipped in Sarah's favor. That ridiculous stone caller was a greater nuisance than I could have dreamed. My mind automatically started tallying the costs of replacing cobblestone and granite – the wood alone was going to cost a small fortune!

But I had more important things on my mind.

The goblin guards were now the ones running scared as giant boulders came out from no where to chase them between buildings and around fountains. It was as if someone had just broken a freshly racked set of billiard balls, scattering them in every direction. I could only observe in frustration as my poorly trained army fled from _rocks_.

She had made it past my guards and was at the base of the castle in just a little over five minutes, moving much quicker than I had anticipated. Granted she had assistance, but I couldn't hold that against her. Knowing when to seek advice is a mark of a good queen.

It was time to retire to the Escher Room for the final test of my labyrinth. Would she be willing to give up everything – to take a leap of faith – to save her brother? Would she be willing to jump blindly into unknown depths for love?

Standing on one of the landings above the entrance, I waited for Sarah's arrival. She was prompt. Running through the doors she halted in surprise as she stared at my maze of stairs. Gone was the woman I had held n my arms less than an hour prior; the old Sarah had returned, filled with uncertainty and a childish need to defeat the "bad guy". Her resolve renewed, she turned and began running up and down steps, not knowing where she was going or what she was doing; she only knew that the end was near and she must keep going.

Why couldn't she look past the story and see how much she tormented me? This very room was testament to how she had twisted my life around – I would never be the same.

Exiting the door nearest to me, I walked out so that I was standing beneath her; a reflection of her darker side. She stood above me in so many ways. Startled, she jumped back, only to creep forward in curiosity. "How you've turned my world, you precious thing. You starve and near exhaust me." I sang from the shadows.

She had already defeated me – even if she didn't get the baby back – her very words directed my every movement. "Everything I've done, I've done for you." Although she was on the cusp of victory, I still helped her. I showed her how everything in the room changed depending on her perspective as I jumped off one set of stairs only to walk through a door behind her. I could walk right through her; time and space were relative. If she was paying attention, she would soon realize how to beat the final test.

But just because she had power over me did not mean I had to like it. "I move the stars for no one!" I declared, pointing back at her for emphasis. I may have fallen under her influence, but I was still the king. I was still far more powerful than Sarah – she should fear me – and I was gratified to see her breathing increase as I showed her how truly vulnerable she was.

It should have been evident throughout my labyrinth, and yet she kept coming with fortitude. "You've run so long, you've run so far." Still trying to understand the complexities of this new world, she chased me down the stairs as I ran up the steps beneath her. To further show her how little she knew, I took another step and rounded the platform to stand face to face with her.

Her eyes widened and she took several steps backwards, trying to maintain her distance. Those eyes; beautiful, green gems, unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was fascinating to watch them change color with her emotions – from a dark olive color when she was angry, to an almost blue green when she was joyful; and every shade in between.

They were olive green now. "Your eyes can be so cruel." What did she have to be angry about? I had given her everything she wanted.

But I wasn't quite ready to give her the baby.

I pulled a crystal out and watched her brow wrinkle slightly in puzzlement. "Just as I can be so cruel," I said, throwing the ball to baby Jareth, who was playing happily a few sets of stairs away.

"Though I do believe in you." She could do anything. She had proven herself. All she had to do was take one final leap, and she would win—she would be found worthy to be my queen.

"Toby!" she screamed as the ball landed at his feet.

She was special. "Yes, I do." I proclaimed.

Sarah began frantically trying to get the boy. Running herself ragged through the various obstacles in the room. Didn't she understand what she meant to me? I couldn't live without her; the thought of being apart from her did not make sense.

"Live without your sunlight." It was not possible. "Love without your heartbeat." She was my reflection. She was _me_ – my better half as the cliché goes. She was a part of me and I was a part of her.

But she still needed to make her own choices, to mature on her own. No matter how much I wanted to mold her into the queen that I thought I needed, I could see – too late—that wouldn't work. "I…I can't live within you." Saying those words nearly broke my heart. She didn't need me to change her. She needed to grow on her own.

She didn't need me.

"Toby!" she called, her voice near hysterical as she realized she could never get to him the conventional way.

"Toby!" Would she learn?

It was seeing him sitting on the edge of a large drop that made the decision for her. I saw the look of understanding color her face, saw her make the choice to leap. "Toby!" she cried out, then closed her eyes and jumped.

Time slowed as the world around her dismantled into broken fragments. Of course she would not be injured—that would not be allowed. She drifted peacefully to a floating terrace; confused, yet unafraid. She was brave.

I watched as Sarah passed through the last obstacle of my labyrinth. She had beaten it – made herself worthy of me. She was not my prize; I was hers.

I came to meet her, not as challenger, but as supplicant. Yet she had to see me in all my majesty – she would not accept a weak king. My adornment was reminiscent of my barn owl persona, complete with white feathers throughout. It represented strength and power; an owl meeting a raven, for that was what she was. Beautiful in her darkness, intelligent, strong, and resourceful; she was fierce enough to reign beside me.

My eyes penetrated hers as I entered into the broken room and she was incapable of turning away. She was still a child in so many ways, yet she responded to my masculinity with a maturity beyond her years. The young woman facing me was not immune to my strength. I could see it in her body language, she was attracted to me. The connection we had made in her dream world still held sway.

Nonetheless, she visibly steeled herself, ready to continue her fight. "Give me the child."

Unbelievable! How could she so easily betray the feelings that were so obviously felt by both of us? And what was more astonishing, how could she still think to defy me after all she'd been through? If I had shown her nothing else, she should at least comprehend by now the might that I had at my disposal and should give me the proper respect.

She had to understand her boundaries if she were to take her proper place by my side as queen. I had to warn her. "Sarah, beware," I said, walking in to the room. "I have been generous up until now, but I can be cruel."

"Generous! What have you done that's generous?" she asked, her eyes flashing in the glow of the moonlight.

"Everything!" I snapped. How could she doubt my love after I literally granted all of her desires? "Everything that you wanted, I have done." I said as I began to circle her; a predator circling its prey. She stood her ground—returning my gaze steadily, despite my commanding presence – a born queen.

I would give her anything. Even now; she wanted a list, I would give her one. "You asked that the child be taken. I took him. You cowered before me. I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside-down. And I've done it all for you!"

I sighed and allowed my voice to soften. "I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"

She was quiet as she stared into my eyes and, for a split second I thought she finally understood, but then she spoke, "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City." She began moving forward slowly and I retreated from her words. She was almost threatening in her innocence. "For my will is as strong as yours and my…"

"Stop!" I commanded, holding up my hand to her like a dam, trying to halt the flow of words she spouted off by memory. She still thought this was a game. She was still trapped in the role of heroine in the story that I created for her. She didn't realize that she had already beaten the labyrinth; that the story could now go on however she chose to make it. She didn't _have_ to take the baby and run. She could stay here with me – they could both stay here with me. She could grow up and, in a few years, become my queen. I had to make her see what she was giving up!

"Wait. Look, Sarah. Look what I'm _offering_ you – your dreams." I held out my crystal, a gift she could have now if only she would give me her love.

She didn't even hesitate. "And my kingdom as great…" she continued, moving forward once more.

"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want." _'Just let me teach you, mold you, and you will become _great_.' _I thought. With my guidance, she would be perfect. But she had to learn to follow me.

She broke eye contact and turned from me, and my breath caught in my throat. Couldn't she feel the connection? We were meant to be together.

"My kingdom as great… Damn! I can never remember that line." She began studying the ground, desperately trying to remember the heroine's last line in the book.

My mouth turned down as my heart began to break. Sarah wasn't thinking about staying, she was still trying to say the words that would crush me forever. She was too young. She couldn't possibly understand what she was giving up. I had to try harder.

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your _slave_." I pleaded with her. She had to see that I loved her. Didn't she know the control that she had over me by now? All she had to do was respect me as king—allow herself to be in my power as I was in hers.

"My kingdom as great… My kingdom as great…" she whispered to herself. She was faltering. Perhaps she was uncertain of her path?

She raised her head and her eyes filled with wonderment. Did she change her mind? I lifted my crystal higher, my expression lightening slightly in hopes of her acceptance.

"You have no power over me."

Her words echoed through the stillness, shattering my heart. I threw the crystal up in the air as her words banished me from her presence in any way but my owl form. As if punctuating my powerlessness, the crystal merely popped like a bubble on her fingertips as she reached out to catch it.

The clock struck midnight as her thirteen hours came to an end. It wasn't enough for her to beat the labyrinth; she had to defeat me as well. And I _was_ defeated. I was broken.

I transported her back to her home and circled her in the living room once before flying out the opened window. Did I imagine a small look of regret on her face as I left her presence?

It was that look that would sustain me for the coming years…because I was not done with Sarah yet.

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**A/N **– Okay…here it is—Sarah's "victory" over Jareth. I hope I got it right! Thank you so much for all of your supportive reviews…you really make my day each time I get one! From here on out, I will be making stuff up completely on my own. Hopefully you will all like where I go from here.

Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!!!


	8. Chapter 7

_**Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl, 'cause it hurts like hell. **_

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I had hoped when I left Sarah that she would show some sign of sympathy. I sat outside her window, waiting for some resemblance of remorse over the pain she had caused me, but all I could see was regret over losing value in her childhood baubles. To her, defeating my labyrinth simply meant an end to her childhood games. She was either too naïve or too selfish to realize she had shattered a man's heart (and pride) in the process. She was crueler than I could have imagined.

I should have never sought her out in the first place. That day in the park, I should have let her pass on by without acknowledging my curiosity. My life could have gone on fine without this gaping hole in my chest that could only be filled by her love. I would have been just fine without the agony of rejection.

Yet, in spite of everything, I loved her. My desire for her was strengthened by our brief time together. She may have denied me, but I would not – _could_ not – deny her. She had beaten my labyrinth. She had done what no one else had been able to do in the centuries since it was first built. There would be no one else for me. _She_ was made for me – and I would have her.

A plan began to form even as I sat on the tree branch looking into her bedroom window. She may not want me now, but I would _make_ her _need_ me.

But first I had to ensure that she didn't dismiss her time with me as some wild dream. She required a window into my realm.

It was easy to manipulate mirrors – even in the Aboveground in my owl form – it was similar in composition to my crystals. Rotating my head to get a better look, I opened up a portal to my throne room. I should have known Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and the monster would still be there, waiting to see if she was all right. They did not know she was no longer in the Underground.

They saw her moping form through the newly formed hole and instinctively reached out to her. She acknowledged that she needed _them_ and my throne room cleared as the party continued in her bedroom.

I tried not to let it bother me – after all, it was my idea, and necessary for my future plans – but she was celebrating her victory over me, with _my_ subjects. It was too much. I flew off into the shadow of the distant moon and brought myself back to my vacant throne room.

A replica of Sarah's vanity mirror now hung on the wall opposite the windows. My goblins would be able to see her whenever she was lonely. She would grow to trust them – to care about them. And I would see to it that she was informed about me as well. The next time she wished me into her presence, she would know very well what she was doing.

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It had been twelve years since that fateful night and many changes had occurred. Sarah had graduated high school, college and graduate school, all with honors. She had a master's degree in landscape architecture and was already renowned for her "relaxing labyrinths" – the new fad amongst the Hollywood elites. It amused me to ponder what they would have thought of _my_ labyrinth.

Sarah had also become a world famous author of children's literature with her series entitled, "The Adventures of Hoggle and Friends". The plot was simple—it was her friends from the labyrinth and their adventures against the wicked Goblin King, with herself conveniently left out of the mix. I was thankful the little dwarf could not read.

She had moved out of her father's home promptly after graduating high school and had lived in several apartments. She never really adjusted back to reality, and having Toby there as a constant reminder made everything all the more difficult. Recently she purchased her own home in the far stretches of the suburbs, but no matter where she moved, the mirror always traveled with her, and she called on her friends often.

As an act of good-will, I allowed Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and even the stone caller (whose name I had finally been told, but had yet to remember), free access to Sarah. Although her enthusiasm to see them still grated on my nerves, I knew in the end it would work in my favor. And I found that Hoggle at least was capable of semi-lucid conversation, which added more to my willingness to allow him in my throne room. Not that I would ever consider him a _friend, _but it was refreshing to have someone capable of proper emotions in my presence.

To an immortal, a year typically felt like a day – what use is time when it affected no change on one's body? But a day without Sarah felt like an eternity, and I was now suffering in a hell of my own making. The years since Sarah's visit to the labyrinth had been torture for me. It was bad enough knowing that she actively courted relationships with the weakest members of my kingdom, but I could handle that – I had control over their interactions with my Sarah. It was her relations with human males from the Aboveground that became the fodder for my waking nightmares.

It began with her senior prom. Sarah had not wanted to attend, but she had been nominated for prom queen—the irony had not escaped my notice. She had confided in Hoggle that it would feel odd to dance with her date since the last time she danced it had been with me. Hoggle knew that I was watching their interactions closely, and he knew that his time with Sarah was contingent upon his speaking positively about me. He wisely remarked that few could compare with dancing with a king, and the conversation had ended with a speculative look on her end.

The night of the prom, she wore a floor-length emerald green dress, which made her eyes sparkle in the setting sun. Her _date_ – if you could call the pimply-faced troll that met her at her door, a date – looked ridiculous in his white tuxedo with a ruffled shirt that matched her dress. His face turned scarlet as he attempted to pin a corsage on the top of her sweetheart-shaped neckline. He had zero confidence in himself – not that I minded. I was pretty certain that if he had been more confident in his hand placement, I would have felt the need to claw his eyes out.

She did not deem that imbecile worthy of a kiss, but he was not the last suitor that courted her. Over the years, Sarah had dated several men. A few men had earned a goodnight kiss, and their wandering hands left little imagining as to where _they_ wanted those nights to lead, but Sarah managed to maintain her dignity. I was curious as to why, with so many young women her age engaging in "free-love", she chose to abstain, but it was hardly a question I could have Hoggle ask. Could it possibly be because of me?

It had become my habit to follow after her during her dates…just to ensure her safety. I prided myself on rarely interfering—I was a ghost to her. However, if one of their cars should _happen_ to have a flat tire on the day following a goodnight kiss, that could hardly be considered interference.

Each time she dismissed another simpleton to the rank of the unloved, I hoped that it had something to do with that look of regret on her face in her living room. But time heals all wounds, and Sarah had grown up.

At nearly 28, she was in the prime of her life. The soft curves that had accentuated her innocence during her stay in my kingdom, had developed into chiseled cheekbones and a fully formed feminine outline. Men were practically beating down her door – women who were both beautiful and intelligent were a prized commodity. And yet she rarely dated.

Until James.

James was one of the actors for whom she had done landscape design work and had been persistent in his pursuance of Sarah. He was attractive in the _conventional_ way – for women that liked perfect hair, perfect teeth, and perfectly matched eyes. He was tall, dark and handsome – the perfect leading man for any movie. And he had his sights set on Sarah.

He could have (and probably did have) any woman that he wanted, but Sarah had initially turned him down. She claimed she didn't want to mix business with pleasure, but he refused to take "no" for an answer. Over the next three months, he sent her a different bouquet of fresh cut blossoms daily. Eventually she consented to have a cup of coffee with him (probably to stop her home from becoming overrun with dead flowers). Coffee led to dinner. Dinner led to dancing. And soon they were planning regular dates for every Friday night. He was her first real steady boyfriend, and every laugh, every touch of his hand, was like a new knife wound ripping holes in my soul.

She was not allowed to care about another man. It was one thing for her to care about my subjects, to befriend them, but it was an entirely different thing for her to develop feelings for another _man._ I had to watch from a distance as he continually tried to move their relationship to the "next level", like some pre-pubescent teenager. Why she put up with him, I could not understand.

Her meetings with my goblins became less frequent as her time became filled with _James_. Was she forgetting about them—forgetting about _me?_

And then James did the unthinkable…he proposed. He got down on one knee in front of 45,000 people at a baseball game and asked her to marry him during the 7th inning stretch. She could hardly deny him in front of that many people. From my perch upon the scoreboard, I had to watch her kiss him and accept the ring as the stadium cheered. I almost gave up right then, but I had to see it through.

That night, I followed them home. Sarah was unaware of her constant shadow—owls fly silently and have impeccable hearing and eyesight—but she had to know I was always watching her. Perhaps that was why she was never fully comfortable with him, even on the eve of their engagement.

"Sarah…" he breathed into her ear as they kissed passionately in the front seat of his car. His convertible was parked in the middle of her tree-lined driveway and he had the top down so I had the _privilege_ of seeing every unsorted thing that went on. He could have at least had the decency to put the top up if he was going to try to fondle her in front of her neighbors—not that she had any. Sarah lived on a five acre property, giving them the utmost privacy for _whatever_ they wanted to do.

I looked behind me, trying hard not to witness what was to happen, but my ears could still pick up every lascivious whisper. "Let's go inside. I'm not ready to end the night here."

"James, no. You know I'm not ready for that yet. I'm just not that kind of a girl." What was that? My head flipped around to see Sarah pushing away to sit back in her seat. I silently cheered.

"What _kind of girl_ would that be, Sarah? The kind that makes love to her fiancé?" he asked, his voice irritated.

His tone hurt her, but she would not be bullied. "James…there are things in my past, that I am just not quite over—I've told you that. Besides, what's the rush now? Wouldn't it be more special to wait until our wedding night, now that one will happen?" She laid her left hand on his arm in a soothing gesture, with a coy smile, trying to calm him down.

But the action only seemed to enrage him further. He picked up her hand roughly and waved it in front of her face. "I have _needs_, Sarah. There are many women who would _kill_ to be in your situation and you just sit there, taunting me. Does _this_ mean _nothing_ to you?" He shook the 5-carat diamond at her.

I swooped down closer. How _dare_ he touch her like that? It was not to be allowed. But I held my peace, determined to not meddle. He would suffer when he was out of her sight.

"Stop it! That hurts! What is _wrong_ with you?" she asked, her voice dripping with disgust. She tried to yank her wrist back, but he only gripped it harder and pulled her to him.

Her eyes narrowed and she slapped him across the face. Even in the dark, I could see a bright red imprint appearing on his left cheek. I flew closer.

His eyes lit up. "I didn't realize you were _that_ kind of girl," he sneered. With his left hand, he reached over and yanked the top of her blouse open. She tried to swipe his hand away, but he anticipated her move and caught her wrist, pushing her back against the seat. "I thought a ring would be enough to get you into bed. I had no idea all you needed was a little rough action. I can give you that."

Horror crossed her face and, as he climbed over the center console, she brought both of her feet up in a last ditch effort to kick him away. He grunted as her left foot nailed him right above his abdomen and her right foot dislocated his shoulder. In response, he let go of her left wrist and his fist landed on her temple. She went limp…and I went crazy.

Moving with the stealth that was typical of my bird of choice, I bared my sharp talons – talons that a normal barn owl would use to kill its prey—and began ripping at his face. Blood began pouring out of his wounds as he tried desperately to fight me off. His eyes would be perfect no more.

Sarah was lucid enough to use the opportunity to escape. She opened the door and fell out onto the gravel. He didn't even wait to make sure she was safe from the "wild bird attack"; he simply shifted the car into reverse and sped out of the driveway, hitting her leg with the edge of the door and spraying gravel in her face. I got a small sense of justice from watching him swerve down the road, knowing full well that at least one of his eyes would no longer work.

Once she felt safe, she allowed her body to drift into the sleep that his blow to the temple had induced. Flying to a nearby branch, I twittered in frustration. Damn this worthless form! I was helpless to move her, helpless to do anything but pace back and forth in indecision.

Humans would be no help—they wouldn't understand me in my owl form. The goblins were bound to her room and the mirror; I could not just open a portal for them to come to her here. They would disappear before they got to her if they came through the "normal" way. But perhaps I could bring the mirror to her. Seeing her in distress would call them to her.

I flew around her home. None of her windows were open, but she had a fireplace. Taking the cover off, I flew down into her home and up into her room. Thankfully the window in her bedroom was similar to the ones in her father's home and I was quickly able to unlock it and push it open.

It wasn't a very large mirror, but it was too heavy for my owl form to carry in flight. The most I could do was drag it across the room and offer a counter-balance to keep it from breaking as I lowered it to the ground. Seeing her lifeless form spurred me on.

Once within five feet of her, Hoggle rushed forth. I had never been happier to see anyone in my life. He immediately ran to her to assess the situation and I dropped the mirror to return back to my throne room and my human form.

"You, you, and you!" I commanded, pointing to three of the larger goblins. "Through the mirror now! You two, carry the girl to her room. You! Follow with the mirror! MOVE!" They dove through the mirror and I was relegated to watching the action through my crystals—the mirror was useless as long as that oaf was carrying it—it pointed only skyward. If they dropped her, I would personally suspend them nose first in the Bog of Eternal Stench!

Hoggle ran ahead and opened the front doors. It had always irritated me that Sarah refused to lock them, now I was grateful for her irresponsibility. They moved her in jerky movements up the stairs and to her bedroom, laying her on top of her comforter. I worried that they were somehow making her injuries worse, but she couldn't be left on the cold ground.

Once the mirror was put back in roughly the same spot where it had originally rested, Hoggle looked into it, not quite certain what he should do. "Your Majesty, she's not wakin' up, but she don't have nothin' really wrong with her. What do you want me to do?"

Finally something I could do. Walking over to the mirror, I held up a crystal. "Give her this." My voice would have echoed to him from the other side. His hand reached through the mirror and grabbed the bag of ice that had appeared in my palm. "Place it on the left side of her head."

Hoggle discreetly covered her with a quilt for modesty sake, and then followed my orders. I had nothing left to do, but wait.

The three goblins returned through the mirror, most likely to tell the others what had happened, but I didn't care. I eagerly awaited the opening of her eyes. It had already been twenty minutes and I had to know if that fool had caused permanent damage.

Pacing around the room, I tapped my riding crop on my palm in frustration, mentally deciding the fate of James—it would not be pleasant.

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**A/N** – Okay…I've started the beginning to the end of the story. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter--it was sort of a filler chapter to bring everyone up to speed. The next chapter will have more interactions between Sarah and Jareth.

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews!!** And in answer to **jareth's girl**… um…there won't be any "quivering members" if that is what you mean by "M" scenes…however, there will definitely be some romance…because like I've said before, this is self-indulgent and that's what I want :-D.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Just as I can be so cruel** _

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"_Hoggle? What's going on? What happened?"_

I stopped midstride at the sound of Sarah's voice and my head whipped around to see Hoggle rushing to her side in the mirror. I felt more useless than ever as that half-sized twit attended to her needs.

"_There, there,"_ Hoggle said in his gravelly voice, as he reached over to pat Sarah's hand. _"Now don't you worry about nothin'. Everythin's going to be all right."_

Sarah started to sit up, _"Oh…my head!"_ She brought her hand up to her temple and the ring flashed in the moonlight. _"Oh. James. I remember now." _And the tears started to fall.

Hoggle looked over at the mirror helplessly as Sarah convulsed with sobs. I had no idea what he expected _me_ to do; I was even more powerless around her than he was.

"_I _hate _him! I HATE him!"_ she screamed as she ripped the ring from her left hand and flung it across the room. The movement caused the quilt to fall off, exposing her bosom. Hoggle hastily averted his eyes.

"_I'm…sorry,"_ she choked out, quickly recovering herself. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and attempted to stand to get a new shirt, but her equilibrium was still off and she was forced to sit back down. She clutched the quilt tighter to her, trying to gain some sort of comfort from the inanimate object, as if by hugging it she could erase the past few hours.

"_Oh, Hoggle. I'm sorry. You came for a visit and I'm spending the time crying." _A bitter chuckle escaped her lips as new tears fell down her cheeks, _"You'd think I would have learned by now that life isn't fair."_

She looked over at him, a puzzled expression crossing her face. _"Wait a second. You didn't come for a visit…you… rescued me. You carried me up here. How did you get outside?"_

I growled in frustration. Once again Hoggle got to play the role of rescuer.

"_I…I ain't done nothin'!" _he stammered. He truly didn't know what I wanted him to say.

Sarah was never one to back down from a challenge. She had a new puzzle to solve and that took away some of the pain…for now. Her eyes narrowed as she fought to remember.

"_Yes you _did_,"_ she insisted._ "I remember. You came out of the mirror and ran towards me…" _she broke off, confusion coloring her face. _"The mirror…how did the mirror get outside?"  
_

"_Uh…uh…I don't know what you're talkin' about."_

"_Yes you do." _Her frustration was making her feel a bit stronger. She stood up—still clutching the blanket to her chest—and began poking her finger at Hoggle, causing him to back up towards the vanity. He looked over his shoulder at the mirror, practically begging me to do something.

I was amused by the situation. Sarah never ceased to surprise me with her reactions. Here she was injured and half-naked, but angry enough at the "injustice" of not being told the truth that she forgot her pain to seek out what really happened. It served Hoggle right for trying to take on the role of hero again.

She noticed his frantic searching of the mirror and she stopped suddenly. Her back straightened and I could see the comprehension in her eyes as she looked from the mirror back to Hoggle and returned. _"It was _him_, wasn't it? The Goblin King,"_ she asked, her voice filled with wonder. _"He was the owl in the car. He carried the mirror to me."_ She was no longer talking to Hoggle, she had moved to the mirror, peering inside as if she would be able to see into the Underground, but all she could ever see was her own reflection.

However, I could see her. I reached my hand up to gently trace the outline of her face, and stared into the green oceans that were her eyes. It was the closest I had been to her face in the last twelve years. All that separated us was a little bit of glass, an outlet for all of my subjects; a prison to me.

She turned her head to look at a nearly frantic Hoggle and my black gloved hand clenched at the empty air where she had been. _"It was him, wasn't it? Jareth."_

My breath caught and a warmth began to spread throughout my chest. It was the first time she had ever used my name. It was music from her tongue.

"_Uh. Yes. Yes it was."_

She backed away from the mirror and I began to breathe again. So close and yet so far. Walking into her closet, she dropped the quilt and came back out a moment later, adjusting a new shirt around her hips. The other blouse was relegated to the garbage can. _"Take me to him."_

What?

"_What?"_ If I was short and ugly, we would have identical looks of puzzlement on our faces.

"_Take me to him. I want to see him."_ She was so sure of herself.

"_Sarah, I can't do that. It's not how it's done,"_ he said, still confused.

"_Oh yeah. Right."_ She looked around the room for a minute. Did she fix her hair in the mirror? _"I wish the Goblin King were here, right now."_ Her wish came out more like a command and she stood with her arms crossed, facing the window bravely; ready for my grand entrance.

Hoggle and I both stared at her open-mouthed from our respective places. Did she really just call me back into her presence?

Well, I was not one to disappoint.

Stepping through the mirror, I appeared behind her, casually leaning against her dresser as if it were part of my palace. I was wearing all black, a threatening look perhaps, but I still wasn't settled from my need for revenge for James.

I instinctively wanted to reach out to the bruise already forming on her upper cheek, but I fought back the urge and began juggling my crystals instead. "Hello, Sarah." I said, a smirk already forming on my lips.

She jumped slightly and turned around, her eyes wide. "Hello." Her voice had a breathless quality to it. She obviously hadn't thought this through. My smirk grew wider and I tipped my head in acknowledgement.

"You came! I … guess I wasn't sure you would come after…" her voice trailed off. _'After I defeated you and shattered your heart into a million pieces,' _she just had to bring that up.

"Sarah, I have a kingdom to run, so please be kind and tell me why you called me here, so I can get back." Not that I was eager to leave her presence, but I couldn't let her know that.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Of course." She fiddled with her fingers a little then looked up at me. "I just wanted to thank you. For saving me. Earlier."

Her nervousness brought out the impishness in me. I couldn't resist poking a little fun. "Oh. Is that all? What? No kiss? Or do only dwarves earn kisses from damsels in distress?"

I was expecting to get her riled up, expecting to see her eyes flash with fiery outrage. I was not expecting her to take me seriously.

Without hesitation, Sarah moved forward and shyly placed a kiss on my cheek. She held her lips there a fraction of a second longer than was proper, before stepping back and looking up at me from under her lashes. "Thank you," she whispered.

Hoggle's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Inside I was rejoicing at her sudden acceptance of my presence, but I managed to maintain a cool exterior, although my smirk slipped just a little. "You're welcome," I said, sincerely. "And now, if that is all, I must be getting back to the Underground."

I moved back towards the mirror, but before I could make the transition back to my palace, she placed her hand on my arm. "Wait. Do you think…do you think that you could, maybe visit again? Like this. Not as the owl?"

I looked down at her hand. How effortlessly she touched me this evening. I couldn't maintain my calm exterior much longer. Surely she could see the fire raging behind my eyes? "Sarah." My voice shook at the sound of her name, but then I regained control. With an impish grin, I repeated the words spoken by my subjects so many years ago, "Should you need me..."

Her eyes twinkled, "I'll call."

And with that, I vanished from her room, taking Hoggle with me.

It was now time to deal with James.

-------{--}-------

I returned us back to my throne room, which was now more crowded than ever; filled with goblins eager to hear of Sarah's health. My plan to get her to care about _them_ had worked too well—they loved her. If I could not make her my queen now, there would be devastating consequences in the morale of these weak-minded creatures.

Hoggle tried to use the infestation as a screen to escape my presence. "Hoggle. You wouldn't be trying to leave without saying goodbye, would you?"

"Uh, no, Your Majesty!" he lied, as he turned back around, spreading his arms out in innocence.

I half-laughed at his attempted deceit. "You will tell no one of what happened this evening. Let these goblins think what they may. They'll soon forget. But you will speak of this to no one."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, bobbing a half bow as he turned to leave once more.

"Hoggle."

He stopped.

"Hoggle, you wouldn't be trying to leave with that little trinket of Sarah's would you?"

"Aw, com'on. She don't want it no more. She threw it away!" he exclaimed, putting his hand over the small pouch at his waist.

"Give the jewel to me," I said, holding out my hand.

Hoggle slumped over to me and handed me the ring that he'd pocketed during Sarah's and my exchange.

"Now, you may leave." I brushed my fingers at him in dismissal. I now had what I needed to make my revenge complete.

Sarah calling me into her presence gave me back my power in the Aboveground. I was still no where near as strong as I was in my own kingdom, but I could now appear in human form again—if only for short bursts.

And a short burst was all that I needed.

The nearest hospital was the logical place for that fiend to have gone. Judging by the reporters swarming the parking lot, I had made the right choice. Actors were next to royalty in this strange world.

I could hear snippets of their reports as I flew through the night.

"…_on the eve of his engagement…" _

"_Authorities are uncertain at this time if he will regain sight in his right eye…"_

Oh, he most definitely would regain his sight – and he would see many things that he did not want to see.

I followed the sound of the paparazzi up to the third floor. There it was easy to ascertain his private quarters; it was the only one that had the curtains closed for privacy—all of the other rooms were empty.

The room was quiet; he was probably sleeping. All the better for what I had planned.

Using some magic, I simultaneously opened the window and appeared beside his bed in all my dark glory. With a flick of my wrist, his door was barred from entrance. No one would be able to save him from his waking nightmare.

The creature looked pitiful lying in the bed, his head bandaged leaving only his left eye visible from his nose up. It brought a feral grin to my face.

"Hello, James," I sneered, juggling a crystal between my fingers.

He startled awake, and I could immediately see he was intimidated by my presence. "Who are you?"

"A friend of a friend," I said dismissively. I clicked my tongue at him and shook my head. "I'm afraid you have been quite troublesome, James. I have come to teach you a lesson." I smirked as his eye widened in disbelief. "Do you like games?" I asked, holding up my crystal so he could see it more clearly.

"Nurse! There's someone in my room!" he shouted while pushing a button on the edge of his bed.

I laughed. "Oh, don't worry; I've taken care of all of that. We won't be disturbed. They can't hear you."

I got great delight from watching him cower in the corner of his bed, but time was precious and I couldn't afford to waste it toying with him. "These bandages have got to go. And I will heal your eye—you need to be able to see for you to fully appreciate the gift that I am going to give to you." With another flick of my gloved hand, his bandages disappeared, leaving only bright red, freshly-formed scabs around the stitching circling his eyes and I restored his sight. He could now see fully from both eyes.

The terror on his face was fully unmasked; I actually was giving him a gift—a memory for him to draw upon during all of his horror scenes. "Wh-What is that?" he asked, pointing to the crystal in my hand.

"It's a crystal. Nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams—or your nightmares." My lips twitched up in a wicked grin and I raised an eyebrow. He couldn't help himself—he looked—and my ball was filled with images that I could use to cause him anguish.

"Ah, James. You are such a vain man. To be so easily tormented by your appearance. What a pity." I shook my head in mock sorrow.

The crystal was still playing through my fingers and he watched in horror as I passed it over his loins; he had no idea what I was capable of. He didn't know it yet, but he would never fulfill his _needs_ again – no matter how many little blue pills he popped.

Pulling the ring from my pocket, I set it down on his bedside table. "A gift. From Sarah."

And with that, I turned into the barn owl and left a few additional decorations on his face and upper body, effectively putting an end to his acting career—except for as the villain; as he should be.

His screams could be heard by the reporters in the lobby as I flew out the window to be silhouetted by the moon, leaving only nightmares in my wake.

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**A/N** – I hope you all enjoyed the end of James and the interaction between Jareth and Sarah. To quote from my favorite novel (bonus points to any of you who know if off the top of your head!), he's soon going to learn what it means "to please a womanworthy of being pleased."

**Thank you for all your reviews!!! **I'm at 50 already! I can't believe it! :-D. I really appreciate all of the encouragement.


	10. Chapter 9

_**_If she'd 'ave kept on goin' down that way she'd 'ave gone straight to that castle. _** _

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It was several weeks before I heard from Sarah again. At first I attributed her silence to her grief over what had happened with James—she had been nearly raped by her fiancé – that would be enough to cause some time of contemplation. News reports claimed that he had been admitted to a psychiatric treatment center due to the trauma caused by a "wild bird attack." If Sarah was concerned about my role in said attack, she didn't try to confront me about it.

After a couple of weeks without contact, I began to wonder if perhaps my taunting her into giving me a kiss had caused an abundance of shyness on her part. Her small kiss had affected me more than it should have. I began replaying the scene over and over in my mind. Her soft touch, the warmth of her breath against my face, the way her lips lingered before she slowly pulled away. Her eyes.

Of course, being a man, my mind automatically roamed to more passionate embraces until I was forced to banish such reflections completely. I was not immune to the charms of women. Over the centuries there had been many females that had volunteered to keep me warm for an evening, but never before had my heart been involved.

Sarah was special. I would try my best not to sully her image – even with my own imagination.

I had told myself that I would not follow her in my owl form again—that I would wait for her to call upon me—but viewing her through my crystals was not enough. I broke my vow after only two weeks, my need to be in her presence overriding my pride. I could not stay away from her any more than a drop of water could stop itself from flowing over a waterfall; her draw was too powerful.

Sitting in an old elm tree outside her kitchen window, I watched her making dinner. She was quite an amusing chef, often dirtying the entire room over a simple sandwich. It appeared to be a love-hate relationship for her – she would spend an hour preparing a gourmet meal only to take one bite, twist up her nose in distaste, and throw the entire dish away. Her old standby dinner in those cases was macaroni and cheese in a microwavable cup – how droll.

Had she accepted my proposal, she would have gourmet meals prepared to her heart's content – my chefs were actually quite competent for goblins – but she had chosen a different path.

She could not see me from my perch, but I could see her quite clearly. She had opened the windows to let in the cool evening breeze, and, if I concentrated, I could even smell her spicy rose scent through the crisp night air. She was intoxicating.

'Why hasn't she called me yet?' I fumed silently. 'What more do I have to do to get her attention?'

As if she could hear my thoughts, Sarah paused in her cooking and stared out the window directly where I sat. I held my breath, knowing she couldn't see me, but unwilling to move lest a sound give my location away.

Her lips suddenly twitched in a half smile and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. My heart pounded in my chest and it took every ounce of willpower I had to keep from transporting her back to my castle right then and there. She was mine; she just didn't know it yet.

But _inviting_ humans into the Underground unasked was…frowned upon, to say the least. I didn't wish to explore the wrath of the elders.

Lost in her thoughts, she turned to the side of the sink without paying attention, and knocked three eggs off the counter. They broke upon impact, spreading little rays of egg yolk all over the white linoleum.

"_Damn you, Jareth,"_ she muttered while grabbing a towel to clean up the mess.

My eyes flashed in the moonlight at the sound of my name on her lips. She had been thinking of me. Perhaps she was more in my power than I imagined.

Brushing her ebony hair behind her ears, Sarah scrubbed at the mess with a little more force than necessary, as if by wiping the egg away she could scrub out her thoughts. When she was about halfway done, she gave an exasperated sigh, threw down the towel, and raced to her room.

"_Hoggle! I need you!"_

The sound would have carried to him wherever he was in my kingdom and he would come running. I couldn't blame him for going to her, but I was livid.

I thought we had an understanding! If she needed someone, she was supposed to call _me_. Isn't that what we had decided? What could possibly possess her to call that runt over me?

In my anger, I flew back to my castle – I wanted to watch their interaction with the eyes of a man.

The dwarf and already gone to her by the time I had entered my throne room. My goblins eyed me nervously; they could sense the fury boiling beneath my tightly controlled mask. They weren't quite sure why I was so keyed up, but they suddenly had other places in the castle to be – I wasn't above a bog banishment in my present mood.

The mirror showed Hoggle brushing his toe back and forth along the braiding at the edge of her oriental rug, his hand scratching at the nape of his neck in nervousness. He refused to look her in the eye.

"_Well, what do you think?"_ Sarah asked, still impatient from her mess in the kitchen.

"_About what?"_ he responded evasively.

"_About my _problem!_"_

"_Oh, that. Well…I ain't exactly sure what your problem is."_

"_Oh, Hoggle!" _she exclaimed as she sat down at the foot of her bed._ "I think I've made a terrible mistake. I should never have called on the Goblin King to come here. I think he might have bewitched me somehow." _

She thought _I_ had bewitched _her_? It was like asking if the tides pulled the moon – she had it all backwards. My entire world revolved around her. I had given her all that I had to give – even my subjects moved at her beck and call. And still she called on Hoggle for counsel! My riding crop scepter appeared in my hand and, in my frustration, I began keeping time to my pacing.

Hoggle looked into the mirror. He knew I must be watching—and I was…intently. _"Uh, Sarah. I don't think Jareth works that way."_

Of course I didn't! If I did, Sarah would have long ago wished to return with me to the labyrinth. Why did he sound so doubtful?

"_He must! Why else would I think about him constantly? I keep expecting to have him randomly appear behind me. I find myself daydreaming about where I'd be if I had remained in his kingdom. The other day I went to visit my family, and the whole time I was with Toby, I couldn't keep a running conversation – I was too busy trying to see resemblances between him and the Goblin King—there is something about his eyes..."_ she shook her head._ "And then I keep thinking I see a barn owl outside my window—in the middle of the day. He has me hallucinating!"_ Sarah threw herself back on her bed, her hair splaying out around her face like a lion's mane.

Not only had she been thinking about me today, but I had been a constant fixture in her stream of consciousness. Why did she refuse to call on me?

And then it hit me—she was scared. She was terrified. Not of me, but of what it would mean if she actually allowed herself to care about me. She still hadn't allowed herself to fully grow up. A new course of action was required.

Without waiting for Hoggle to respond, I ripped him back to my throne room. Lying on the bed as she was, Sarah didn't even notice his absence at first. She must have assumed his silence was born of embarrassment.

Hoggle didn't know exactly what he'd done, but he was sure he was in trouble. His body immediately hunched over in his groveling stance as he spoke, "Your Majesty. What a pleasant surprise."

"Shut up, Hoggle," I snapped. "Did you think I would allow you to lounge around gossiping about me? Highly inappropriate, don't you think?"

He took a few steps back and practically fell all over himself proclaiming his innocence. "We wasn't gossipin' about _you_, Your Majesty. I would never do that! I was merely trying to help Sar…" at the raising of my eyebrow, he realized the impertinence of using her name in my presence and quickly changed what he was going to say, "…the young lady determine her true feelings about you, was all. Nothin' more."

"_Hoggle? Hoggle! Where'd you go?"_ Sarah asked, her tone sounding worried as she began lifting up throw pillows. It nearly made me want to laugh – the dwarf was small, but not _that_ small – then I remembered her childish refusal to face her fears head on. The labyrinth was over. The time for foolish games was at an end. It was time Sarah grew up.

"Enough simpering, Hoggle. I want you to look into the mirror and tell her if she has any more questions, she needs to talk to _Jareth_." I hated when my subjects spoke about me so informally, but I knew that was how the dwarf referred to me when he thought they were alone. Besides, that was how I wanted Sarah to view me – as a man, not a king.

She'd shown me she was worthy of serving at my side by beating my labyrinth. I wanted to know if she was brave enough to face me without a script.

Hoggle didn't hesitate in obeying; he was probably eager to leave my presence. "Sarah. I'm here."

"_Hoggle! Why did you disappear like that?"_ she inquired as she moved over to look into her mirror. I enjoyed the close up view of her face even as I wished the dwarf would leave her to me in private.

"Uh, well…duty called me back. I just wanted to tell ya, that if you have questions about Jareth, you should talk to him directly from now on. I can't help ya no more. Goodbye, Sarah."

Sarah's face grew dark. _"Did he tell you that? Oooh! That man! He's so infuriating!"_ and she stomped her foot for good measure. I smirked at her immature antics.

I didn't want to cut my viewing of her short, but I could no longer allow her to use Hoggle as a crutch. Now that I knew that I was on her mind, I would force her to speak to me. Hoggle's function in my plans was at an end.

Hoggle was already nearing the threshold of the door to my throne room. "Hoggle." He stopped and slowly turned around. "You are not to go to her if she calls again. Your visits are at an end." Oh, she would still be able to call on her other friends, but Hoggle was who she turned to for advice. She would be denied her trusted counselor, and would be forced to call upon me. As she should.

His face visibly slumped, but he knew better than to argue. "Yes, Your Majesty." And with that, he turned and left the room.

As none of the goblins had returned, I was left alone with my thoughts – a rarity in my throne room. It wasn't long before I walked over to my standing crystal and called Sarah into view. She was sitting on her bed, obviously wrestling with indecision. I could read it on her face: she wanted to call me, but she was scared. When would she ever learn?

I had been observing her for 15 years. In that time, I watched her blossom from an awkward adolescent to a beautiful woman—an enchantress, really—my own personal siren, luring me to my destruction. I was thankful that the goblins required little management and the labyrinth provided ample protection against invaders or I most certainly would have lost my kingdom by now. I was powerless to do little but watch her, waiting for the day when she would realize she needed me. My preoccupation with the Aboveground took me away from many of my duties and this could not go on much longer.

I cursed my incapacity. How I wish I could just go to her—face her in all my kingly glory and make her regret ever denying me. Yet, although I could now enter her presence, my power was still limited when I was with her to what she allowed me…and she didn't even know it!

I watched as her countenance changed. A determined look washed over her face and I could see her steel herself. A decision had been made. She was going to do it. My heart leapt in anticipation.

"_I wish the Goblin King were here, right now."_

In an instant I was there, lounging on her bed as if I owned it. Startled, she jumped off the bed and crossed to the other side of the room, never once turning her back to me. I leaned on my elbow to get a better look, placing my head in my hand, and curling my lips up in an impish grin. "Hello, Sarah."

"We need to talk." Her brow furrowed as if she were concentrating hard on something.

I raised my eyebrows, but otherwise made no gesture that indicated my disproval with the tone of voice in which she made her pronouncement. I kept it light. "Come, come, Sarah. Is that any way to greet a guest you've invited into your home?"

She did not apologize. "Why did you so rudely take Hoggle away?"

I frowned. "Sarah, I am not a man to be trifled with. Be careful."

"Answer my question," she demanded, jutting out her chin in defiance, but I could see the glint of uncertainty in her eyes—she knew I was powerful and did not know how far she should push.

Waving my hand dismissively, I responded, "Hoggle will not be allowed to visit you in the Aboveground anymore. He has duties to my kingdom and he can no longer be spared."

"Why, you…you…"

"I have warned you, Sarah, be careful. I would not continue with that line of thinking if I were you. My patience only lasts for so long." I sat up on the edge of her bed, unwilling to allow her to continue using Hoggle as an excuse to keep from talking to me. "Now, if that is all, I will be returning to my kingdom – I have duties to attend to myself." '_Not that I've been very diligent in my duties for the last twelve years or so…"_ I thought bitterly as I stood.

"No, wait!" She said, holding her hand up as she took a step towards me.

I arched my eyebrow and cocked my head slightly, which seemed to make her a little flustered. "I was never really in danger in your labyrinth, was I?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

A smirk played on my lips in reply.

"You never really wanted Toby, did you?" Her voice shook with the inquiry.

The sound of my boots moving off the rug and across the wood floor was her immediate response. She instinctively took a step away from me, backing into the wall next to her closet. A blush rose in her cheeks as I moved in to lean over her. Placing one hand on the wall on either side of her head, my eyes locked on hers with the intensity of a raging forest fire.

Her bosom rose as her breath caught in her throat; her eyes, wide with uncertainty, moved back and forth between my own mismatched pair. She wasn't sure she was ready to give in to her desires, but she wasn't scared.

Slowly I moved my face forward, breathing in her scent, memorizing the line that rose from her chin to her ear. She didn't move, locked as she was in a predator's gaze. But I wanted _her_ to take that next step, not me.

"What do you think?" I breathed into her ear, fighting the urge to take the soft flesh between my teeth.

She closed her eyes, a sudden weakness overtaking her, and I took that cue to head back to my castle.

A ghostly chuckle was all I left behind.

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**A/N** – I am so sorry this took so long to get up! I would like to blame it on the busyness of the last week—which would be partially true—but unfortunately it was my own perfectionism that caused the delay. I re-wrote this chapter at least three times! One version had Jareth talking to an Emo Toby :-D. I decided to leave that out since, a. I think some people would have a problem with an Emo Toby, and b. this story is not about Toby, but about Jareth and Sarah.

Anyway, I'm still not quite satisfied with this chapter, but I figured I would upload it anyway… I've just waited too long!

I wanted to thank everyone for your reviews…you are all so kind, and a huge encouragement to me! I especially got a kick out of my "anonymous" reviewers…**chilalisnowbird**, you made me laugh out loud! To answer your question, Jareth doesn't have any problems _there_ (it would ruin my fantasies if he did! :-D)…he's viewed tv/listened to radio a few times over the years following Sarah around…those commercials are EVERYWHERE!

And kudos to all of you who knew the "Pride and Prejudice" reference. Best book ever!

Hope you all had a wonderful, Merry Christmas!


	11. Chapter 10

_**_But down in the Underground, you'll find someone true._** _

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"Don't you ever feel insecure?" Sarah asked laughingly over her shoulder. She was getting plates out of her cupboard and I was enjoying the brief glimpse of midriff as her raised arms lifted up her ruffled blouse. The soft hollow of her lower back made my mouth water and my mind fill with improper thoughts about other soft areas on her body. I quickly reined my imagination in and tried to focus on her question.

It was the third time she'd called on me since Hoggle's banishment. Since I was not limited to the mirror as my goblins were, she had made sure each time she'd called she had been in her living room. I could only surmise that she felt her bedroom was too intimate for such communications—and she was probably right. I often found myself juggling my crystals just to keep my hands occupied—I was determined to play the gentleman; Sarah was worth the wait.

The conversations had been kept strictly to questions about the labyrinth, the goblins, and the Underground in general. She had been careful to keep the subject away from her or her time with me, and she had made sure there was plenty of space between us during my visits; habitually shielding her body with a throw pillow as she curled her legs beneath her on the sofa. I was willing to give her whatever space she needed—for now—as long as she continued to spend time with me. As a man.

That evening was the first time she had laughed freely in my presence. I had heard her laugh before, but never had she been this close. My whole body warmed at the sound, but I refused to allow her to see how much she meant to me. She still wasn't aware of how much power I had given her.

"I don't understand the question," I said, raising my eyebrow, a slight smile playing on my lips. It was difficult not to smile when I was near her, but I fought hard to maintain my calm exterior.

"You are always so _cool_…I have yet to see you flustered. Come on! You must get anxious about _something_."

'_You,_' was my immediate thought. Couldn't she read it all over my face? Wasn't it obvious? How could she not realize that her every breath made me anxious? I was in completely new territory with her. She was different than anyone I had ever met. I was different because of her.

So, as was my usual habit, I evaded her question. "Really, Sarah. What would the Goblin King have to feel anxious about?"

I was leaning nonchalantly on the doorframe of the kitchen so that she would have to pass close to me in order to return to the living room. Such was the role that I was relegated to—high school suitor. The _Goblin King _was forced to play the antics of a prepubescent boy merely to get close to the woman he loved.

It was worth it.

Sarah hesitated only for a moment when she turned around and saw me there, her hands filled with dessert. Then she turned sideways and bravely moved toward the living room, avoiding my gaze as she brushed past me through the door, a hint of her breasts grazing the bottom of my chest as she attempted to keep the dishes from falling. I stood straighter in triumph as a small blush crept up onto her cheeks. Placing the plates on the coffee table, she gestured for me to return to the arm chair—my temporary throne in her home.

"I don't know, _Goblin King_. What do you have to be anxious about?" She asked, crossing her arms as if to hide her well-formed bosom from further inspection.

My smile grew broader, but I merely tilted my head in response. She would not get that secret from me.

"Fine. Don't tell me. You know, it's really not fair. You know so much about me, and I know very little about you." She sat on the opposite sofa, grabbed a plate, and took a bite of her chocolate mousse. I watched as her eyes closed in pleasure, savoring the rich flavors, and once again my mind roamed. It was becoming a problem.

I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. "I have heard it said that 'that's just the way it is'." I responded sarcastically, reminding her of her discovery in my labyrinth.

She was quiet for a moment, and I thought that perhaps I had offended her, but then she murmured. "Tell me what it's like to be king."

'_Before you, or after you?'_ I immediately thought, as that made a vast difference.

Looking into her eyes, I saw that they were wide with curiosity. She honestly wanted to know about my life. I decided to give her a partial glimpse into what she had done to me. "Being king has its…charms. For one, there is no one who is willing to defy me." I gave her a meaningful look and was rewarded once again with a slight reddening of her cheeks.

"The goblins worship me, but they are not very intelligent creatures. Although there are others of my kind in the Underground, they do not often like to visit, and so I am left with little to challenge me. That is part of the reason why I created the labyrinth—to find someone more intellectually stimulating to associate with. To find a companion."

Although there was a wide range of definitions for the word, my tone of voice left little imagining to the type of _companion_ I was seeking. She dropped her eye contact and attempted to change the subject. "So, there are other men…like you…there? Do they visit the Aboveground too?"

I chuckled. "In that, fair Sarah, I am slightly different from my kinsmen. They have long ago stopped visiting unless called upon. And, yes, there are others who wish young children away—_most _simply prefer to wish them to someone other than the Goblin King."

She ignored my taunt and tilted her head sideways, examining me through narrowed slits. Just as I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, her brow furrowed together in puzzlement and she asked, "What _are_ you, exactly? You are not a goblin. Are you human?"

I laughed. Despite her bluntness, her question was not meant to be insulting and so I chose to answer honestly. "No, I am not quite human, although my parents were." Her eyebrows rose in question and so I fought to find the answer that would satisfy her without causing undue pity. My story wasn't necessarily a happy one.

"I was born many centuries ago in a village far away from here. The people who lived there were descendants of an ancient culture, charged to protect the spring in the center of the village, which was said to have special healing powers. However, the surrounding area was lush and full of life and thus desired by other clans in the region. They were constantly being invaded, but through it all my family survived and continued on with the task given to them. It was a time of great sorrow for my village, but I honestly do not remember much of it." I paused my narrative to gauge her reaction. Sarah had placed her elbows on her knees and was leaning forward intently, but I was unable to read her expression. It wasn't a look of pity though, so I continued with my tale.

"My mother had been very beautiful. Unbeknownst to her, a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann (your people would call them the people of the Sidhe, or fairies), had fallen in love with her. He watched helplessly as she battled with the invaders, not over the fountain, but over her infant son; following her motherly instinct to protect him above all else. The Fae was powerless to assist until she released him of her hold on him—of which she was unaware. He wept as she was run through by four different spears and at the moment of her death, his power was released. In his wrath, he struck out, killing everyone that was left in the village, friend or foe. All accept the infant boy – me.

"He returned with me to his castle in the Underground and raised me as heir to his throne. In his mind it was only fitting, since, had things worked accordingly, my mother would have been his queen. By the end of my fifth year, I had been fully transformed, changed into a Fae." I broke off, staring into space for a moment, remembering those few awkward years before recollecting where I was.

"And so, my dear Sarah, does that answer your question?" I leaned back in the chair and steepled my hands together, studying her over the tips of my gloved fingers.

She visibly shook herself, then smiled. "Yes, it answered _that_ question, and left me with a few hundred more."

I nodded in response, a twinkle in my eye. She was curious. About me. My stomach knotted in pleasure.

But then she had to go and ruin it. "You said that your mother had power over the Fae and she didn't know it. What does that mean?"

I immediately realized my mistake, but it was more crucial than ever that I maintain my mask of nonchalance. She could not be allowed to realize the importance of that question.

"Sarah, I have enjoyed our chat, but it is time for me to be leaving for the evening." I stood, trying my best to regain my regal stature in her eyes, to keep her afraid of asking that question again.

Did I imagine it, or did her face fall slightly in dejection? Was that over my leaving or in response to her unanswered question? Blast her untimely inquiries!

"Can I call on you again?" she asked as she stood, sounding hopeful.

I couldn't trust myself to respond without emotion so I simply inclined my head toward her, forcing myself to maintain my casual smirk.

Without warning, she moved forward and kissed me tenderly on my cheek, only slightly above the corner of my mouth. Then, as quickly as it came, she broke away and ran upstairs without saying another word.

Touching my cheek where her lips had been, I stared after her for a moment before transporting myself back to my castle. Would she ever do something expected?

I grinned at the first goblin I saw and threw him up in the air. He landed a few feet away laughing, pleased to be played with by his king. The overall atmosphere in the room was charged as if they could sense my euphoria—and they probably could. They were highly attuned to my mood swings by that time.

Of course that euphoria would not last much longer. Sarah was like a drug; the longer she waited between visits, the more withdrawal I suffered. I would not feel complete until she was finally here with me for eternity.

My steward arrived moments after I sat in my throne, ready to give me a rundown on the mundane activity I'd missed while away. Though his job was important—especially as my mind had been preoccupied as of late—it was tedious to hear about the local disputes amongst the goblins. One can only hear, 'he stole me chicken' so many times...

"Well done, Jant. Please see to it that…" my voice trailed off as the throne room doors opened.

Niall.

"Welcome, Father," I said, immediately getting to my feet. "It is kind of you to visit. Let me take you to my private quarters. I'm sure you will find yourself more comfortable there." What was he doing here? It had been over two hundred years since he had last come to visit—he was still bitter that I had chosen to leave home to live with a bunch of "uneducated savages" as he put it.

"I'm sorry, Jareth, but I am not here on a social visit." He looked at the filth around him with disdain, as if being in the room would be enough to require a three hour bath upon his return home.

I had expected as much, although his purpose still eluded me. "Well, Father. What is it?"

He looked at me and for the first time that I could remember, I saw an ounce of fear in his eyes. "Because of my position amongst the Elders, I was given the opportunity to speak with you first. They are coming to get you, Son. You are to stand trial for the destruction of the Fae."

"What! That is not possible! I have done nothing!" I probably should have been scared—a more rational man would have been—but I was merely enraged. The Elders had been trying to find a way to remove me from the goblins for centuries; to finally rid the Underground of these so-called savages. As long as I remained king, the labyrinth protected them and there was nothing the other Fae could do about it. "What are the charges?" I asked, my voice barely holding in my contempt for their treachery.

"They know what was said to that…girl. You told her how to destroy our kind. They already fear us for 'stealing babies' and 'preying on young maidens'. Our magic is our only defense. Once the humans realize that they have power over us, there will be nothing to stop them from seeking revenge."

"But she doesn't know! She doesn't understand!" I was more worried about Sarah than I was about myself. Niall understood what I was going through, he had been there, but the others had refused to visit the Aboveground. They could not comprehend our fascination with the women we had found. To them, they were mortals—easily dispensable. What was one human in comparison to an entire race?

"Father, you must do something!"

Niall saw the fear in my eyes and empathized. He took two steps toward me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Jareth, there is still a chance, albeit a small one. The Elders will not move until the next new moon, preferring to work under the cover of darkness. You have one week."

I shook my head, not understanding what he needed from me. "What will one week do? That will just give her more time to figure everything out."

"You have one week to bind her to you, to this place, to the Underground. If she decides to become one of us by the end of that time, then both you and she will be safe."

He didn't know what he was asking. He didn't know that she had already had that choice, and had refused. I needed more time! "And if she refuses?" '_Again…'_

His face fell as if it caused him pain to have to hurt me this way.

"Then you will have to kill her yourself."

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**A/N**- Oh look...a cliffhanger! I am so proud of myself! :-D I hope you think it is a good one.

**Thank you once again for all the reviews! **Your reviews spur me along. When I get a review, it brings Jareth to the forefront and reminds me to sit down and write. Not to mention that they in general bring a smile to my face and make my whole day! :-D So thank you for your encouragement!

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Oh...and ahem, the little blue pills..sigh...see, there are these commercials on tv with older men in them, and these older men want to have relationships with women, but...well...they're older men...so the pharmaceutical companies came up with these pills to help them out... and that is all I have to say on the subject of little blue pills. :-D


	12. Chapter 11

_**What kind of magic spell to use?** _

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Oh, just make the woman who had once scorned my proposal, instantly fall in love with me.

Simple.

Only a fool renews sentiments that were once rejected. Of course I had already decided to do just that, but I had hoped for more than a week's time to get her to warm up to that idea.

I paced back and forth in my bedroom, desiring the quiet in which to think. The goblins were on edge; they knew something was seriously wrong, but I was not able to tell them what. They wouldn't understand the dilemma I faced. If Sarah didn't decide to become one of us, she would be killed. The Elders knew very well that if they tried to kill her, I would fight them, and I would be defeated—the goblins along with me. As much as I desired to protect this race of creatures from genocide, I could not live without Sarah. As long as she was alive, my heart could beat—even without her love in return.

There was no choice. She had to consent to be my queen.

And so I paced and thought. I had nothing else to do as I waited for her to call on me—another issue sure to work against me. I needed her to wish me into her presence merely to speak with her—as if my situation weren't complicated enough.

No, that was one thing I could remedy right away. She might need to wish me into her presence for me to speak with her in my human form, but she would know I was near at all times. I could no longer afford to be casual in my affections for her. I needed to make my intentions clear.

However, she was different than virtually every woman I had ever encountered. I wasn't sure how to woo her. She wasn't impressed by my power, my strength, or my royal title. Other men had pursued her and she had rejected them as well. She was impossible to please!

I was tempted to tell her about the danger she was in, but '_Sarah, you need to consent to be my queen or you will die'_ didn't have the right ring to it. Besides, my pride required an attempt at being allowed to make her fall in love with me.

Thinking back on her previous suitors, I analyzed the choices they made of which she approved. James had been the most successful (and the most dastardly). His persistence with the flowers ingratiated her enough to get him a date. However, I did not have three months.

The scoundrel had used red roses as his bouquet of choice – how blasé! He hadn't put any thought into it, merely choosing the most common symbol of romance as a means to enter her pants—how pathetic.

Sarah was precious. She needed something that spoke of her beauty, her perfection. Yet it couldn't be as simple as a carnation. It needed to be rare, like her. It had to speak of seduction –for I _was_ going to seduce her – but not merely to gratify the lust of the flesh. My affection for her was pure.

I began rolling a crystal between my fingers. In an instant it had been transformed to the perfect symbol of my adoration. An orchid, with petals the color of her cheeks as she flushed under my gaze; as soft as her lips as they caressed my cheek.

From my desk drawer I pulled a piece of stationary and a quill with which to write. I knew delivering my intentions in a letter was the coward's way, but time was not on my side.

In my most elegant script, I wrote:

_My Dearest Sarah,_

_It has come to my attention that my intentions toward you_

_have been somewhat masked. Let me speak plainly now _

_as time is running short. I desire you for my queen._

_I will have no other._

_I do not request an answer from you at present, however, it is a_

_matter which cannot wait long. In one week's time, events _

_will be put into motion that I am powerless to stop. _

_Please consider carefully before making your decision._

_Your dreams are yours if only you will ask._

_As always, you may call upon me at your leisure, but do so _

_soon. In seven days, I will disappear from your life, forever._

_I will be near,_

_Jareth_

The letter was as straightforward as possible. I transported myself to the Aboveground, my body transforming to that of the owl as I materialized outside her bedroom. Her window was open, allowing the cool night air to dance upon her sheer curtains.

Within, Sarah slept, peacefully unaware of the danger in which I had placed her. Her hair framed her angelic face in the pale moonlight like a dark halo. Moist breath flowed from slightly parted lips, calling out for me to come and taste her essence. Her arms had pulled out from beneath her sheets, exposing her creamy shoulder, with only a thin strap keeping her ivory nightgown from revealing the soft curves beneath the sheet. She was exquisite.

Carefully clutching the flower and note within my talons, I flew to her bed and placed the gift on the empty pillow next to her. Then I moved to the window ledge and paced.

I had not thought this through. I wanted to witness her reading the note in person—or at least in owl form—however, I had not anticipated her remaining asleep. I vacillated between waking her and letting her rest, finally deciding that I didn't have time to wait.

Drawing upon what little power I had in this form, I called the wind, causing a sharp gust to blow in through the window, waking her with its cold caress. She turned over to pull her sheets higher—her eyes fluttering as she fought to retain her sleep—and immediately noticed the flower. I hid behind her curtains and watched her sit up in alarm, pulling her sheet up to her chest as she studied the room for ghosts in the dark.

Finding no one, she flipped on the lamp next to the bed and began poring over the note. I wasn't sure what I expected her reaction to be, but as usual, she surprised me.

"Goblin King, if you are nearby, show yourself!"

As she hadn't actually wished me into her presence, I was limited in my grand entrance, but I did my best. Flying silently around her room, I alighted upon her dresser and fluffed out my feathers to settle in for a chat.

She seemed startled by my form, but quickly controlled her features. Raising one of her delicate eyebrows, she asked, "Did you leave this note?"

I cocked my head to the side in acknowledgment.

"Is this your attempt at _romance?_ You wake me up in the middle of the night with a symbol of fertility on my pillow and expect me to swoon?" she scoffed, waving the orchid in the air. "Or is 'queen' just a job title, with the duties being to produce little heirs to the throne?"

I flapped my wings in frustration. She was insulted by the flower! I should have realized that as a landscape architect, she would know the history of the orchid, but she should also know the symbolism behind it. How could she scorn a symbol of pure love? What did I have to do to impress her!

Didn't she understand what I was offering her? Didn't she know how many women would do practically anything to trade places with her? To be the wife of one of the most powerful kings in the Underground is not something to be taken lightly! And yet she mocked me—mocked my offering.

And she wasn't done. "I will not be a _tool_, Goblin King, to be used for your twisted end-game. I will not marry for convenience sake or because someone _desires_ me to do so. I don't need your power or your wealth. I don't need servants or subjects to worship me. I _won't_ be a baby factory. When I marry, it will be for love. Not the trumped up, romantic version that James fooled me into. I want the real deal. I won't settle for less."

She stood up and strode towards me, full of command—her narrowed eyes gleaming in the dim light. She had never looked more beautiful, and as the sheet fell to the bed, I was nearly overwhelmed with desire. Although it was a relatively modest nightgown, her body was silhouetted by the glow of the lamp, reminding me that there was only a thin, cottony layer of fabric separating her soft flesh from my touch. It gave my imagination so many new options and I was almost grateful that I wasn't in my human form as I would not have been able to control myself. As it was, I had to fight the urge to twitter as she came to stand within a foot of me.

She was brave when she didn't have to look at me as a man—she could pretend she was only talking to a bird. She would never have come this close to me, looking like _that,_ if I had been in my human form.

"I'll admit that it was a welcome surprise when you saved me and I allowed myself to think of you as an unconventional hero, but I'm sure the only interest you have in me is the fact that I beat your labyrinth. You have worked yourself into a frenzy trying to figure out how a young girl could beat you and you have convinced yourself that you need me because of that. But if you want me to be your queen, then I will need proof. You need to show me that I'm more to you than the girl who beat your labyrinth—a challenge, something you think you can't have…a _trophy_—because I won't base my future off your hatred of losing." And with those final words, she picked me up and threw me out her bedroom window, locking it behind her. Her light turned off a moment later and the night turned dark once more.

I was almost too stunned to be angry. So much of what she had said was completely illogical. I couldn't comprehend how her mind worked!

Yet I _was_ angry. Did she think that I flippantly offered to share my throne with just anyone? I had waited centuries to find her, invested years in training her, watched her grow, and kept her safe— for what? To be rejected again and again.

She wanted _proof_ of my love! What more proof was there? I had turned my world upside down for her and it was all for nothing. What did she want from me?

I flew high into the sky to be encompassed by the moon, feeling comforted by its simple glow, until I was reminded that it was the moon on whose timing the Elders were waiting. What I wouldn't do to be able to stop time in the Aboveground—to give me a chance to let her know me more. But that was a wish that wouldn't come true.

Returning to my castle, I decided to take a walk through the labyrinth to the Wiseman. Perhaps he would be able to give me new insight into my troubles.

As it was nighttime, I expected to find him asleep, but he was surprisingly alert when I entered into his courtyard. The annoying bird hat was the one asleep for a change—a good thing, as I was in no mood to humor him.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. What a welcome surprise. How may I be of service to you?" The old man blew his mustache away from his lips and coughed with the exertion.

"I wish to hear what your opinion is on love," I stated simply. He would not need any particulars to give me what I needed.

"Ah, yes. Love. It is great for the recipient, but often painful for the donor."

Tell me something I didn't already know. "Yes, yes, but love is an emotion. How would you go about proving that you feel an emotion?"

The strain of answering my question seemed to have brought on the exhaustion that characterized him, but upon my question he startled awake. "When you wear a mask over the truth… you are thought to be liar." His eyes closed and he immediately began snoring.

The old man was obviously too tired to make coherent thought—it was a wonder he was able to answer me at all.

It was quite late and I decided to try to follow the old man's example. Appearing in my bed chamber, I lay down without bothering to get undressed and tried to force myself to relax. When my body was finally able to enter into a restful state, my dreams were filled with images from the masquerade ball—returning continually to the look in Sarah's eyes as she searched for me. So pure. So innocent. So transparent. She wanted me. It was her dearest dream. I allowed myself to melt into her arms, relishing in her love.

In an instant, the dreams turned into nightmares as we switched roles. No longer was she looking for me, she wanted me to chase her—a seductive smirk teasing me whenever I caught a glance. Moving throughout the dancers, I pushed my way through the crowd. I had to find her; I had to make her mine. I was no longer certain of her affection. If she loved me so much, why did she run away?

I sat up, startled from my dream as the Wiseman's words became clear. Sarah wasn't sure of my love because I had never spoken those words. I had hidden my true feelings from her behind a playful spirit—the mask over the truth. It was implied in everything that I did, but she had to connect those dots herself. And she didn't think it was possible. To her, everything was an illusion that couldn't be believed.

If she was going to trust me, she needed to know the whole truth. But I couldn't do it in a letter. I needed to speak with her.

When the sun rose in both of our worlds, I flew to her. I made my presence obvious; actually going so far as to knock on her kitchen window as she sat down for her morning cup of coffee. She turned to me, looked me directly in the eyes, and then purposefully went back to drinking from her mug.

Blasted woman! How could I prove my love to her if she refused to speak with me? Well, two could play at her game.

For two days I followed her, day and night. When she ran errands, I flew behind her, resting on the tree directly within her line of sight of where she entered and exited a building. When she closed her curtains to block my view at night, I sat on her window ledge and slept, listening for any movement from within. I continued to knock on her windows as she sat in the kitchen, and I twittered impatiently from outside her front door. I didn't have much time.

Finally, on the third day, my persistence was rewarded.

As I knocked on her window during her dinner, she finally threw up her hands in exasperation. "I wish the Goblin King would join me for dinner," she practically growled under her breath.

With a triumphant smirk, I entered her kitchen and prepared to tell her everything.

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**A/N – **Wow! I am so sorry it took me so long to post this chapter! I really have no excuse other than I've been dealing with sick kids. The chapter practically wrote itself and the last three will hopefully be even easier (yes, there should only be three chapters left :-D)—lots of good action coming up! I just have to find the time to write it out…

I hope you liked this chapter. Jareth is starting to understand that he has to open up a little more if he expects her to respond to his advances--playing it cool is nice in the movies (REAL nice in this instance! ;-) -- giving myself goosebumps thinking about _how_ nice it is :-D), but a woman needs to hear the assurances every once in a while!

Let me know what you think. Thank you again for all your reviews…I wish you could see the smile I get on my face every time I see an e-mail alert--it looks an awful lot like that --- **:-D** (except my eyes are a little bigger and my head isn't tilted sideways.)

Have an amazing weekend!


	13. Chapter 12

_**Too much rejection, no love injection.** _

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Sarah stood when I entered, folding her arms over her chest in impatience. She no longer seemed to fear me—she just seemed annoyed. This was going to be harder than I thought.

I bit back the sarcastic comment I instinctively wanted to throw at her in self-defense. Instead, I spoke as sincerely as possible, "Sarah, thank you for calling me; there's much to say."

"I think your letter pretty much said everything," she responded without much warmth.

She could be so frustrating! I was trying to come at her as a man in love, and she was trying to pick a fight. She wasn't even going to give me a chance!

Like a lion stalking my prey, I slowly moved to stand over her, causing her to back up into the cabinets. Sarah's eyes widened in surprise and perhaps a touch of fear as I placed one hand on the countertop and leaned over her, commanding her full attention. My tone lowered automatically in response to her close proximity. "You asked me to prove my love for you, Sarah. I'm here to do just that."

She studied my eyes, trapped in my gaze as the intensity between us increased. It would only be a small movement to bring my lips to hers—I longed to taste her soft flesh; to feel her warm breath dancing with my own—and yet I held back, drawing on years of discipline to keep myself in check. I wanted her to come to me.

Sarah's breath caught and, for a moment, she wavered on the brink of indecision—the desire weighing heavily in her eyes—but then she abruptly ducked out from under my arm and made her way over to the upper cupboards. I ground my teeth in frustration, but fought to keep myself under control.

"What are you doing?" I asked without moving. I was more affected by her presence than I would allow her to see.

"I wished to have dinner with the Goblin King. I'm getting him a plate." And sure enough, she was dishing out a second serving of whatever it was she had made for dinner—some sort of pasta dish by the look of things. "Take a seat."

I sat in the chair that was offered and waited for her to join me. When she turned around, I could see the last vestiges of a blush still on her cheeks—she had not been as unaffected as she pretended.

Placing the food on the table, she casually remarked, "So…you had something to say?" The fire had gone out of her eyes and was replaced by a form of curiosity. Was I really that hard to read?

Leaning back in my chair, I folded my arms and sighed. "You were right in your assumption that I hate to lose." I studied her face for a moment before my lips quirked up in a wicked half smile in remembrance of the game. "No one has made it through the labyrinth since it was created—and many have tried. I am not easily defeated." She arched her eyebrow and my heart responded audibly. How I loved her spirit!

"And you were also right, in a way, when you said that I needed you because you beat the labyrinth. Because that was part of the magic within the labyrinth—only my true love _could_ beat the labyrinth. Only one who is equal to me in intelligence, willpower, and courage can rule by my side."

She picked up her fork and popped a piece of food in her mouth, chewing slowly, before speaking. "But again, it comes back to me beating the labyrinth. You only _think_ you love me because I happened to have gotten lucky enough to beat it. But it didn't count—I had friends helping me. If it wasn't for them, I would never have beaten you." She argued her point, yet I could tell she didn't want to believe what she said. She wanted me to be right.

She still did not understand. "Sarah, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that I could not possibly love you. Let me set the record straight once and for all." Leaning forward, I took in every facet of her face, from her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, to the small freckle on her upper lip, and on down to her graceful neckline. I could get lost in the magnificence of every feature.

It was not difficult to speak the words that should have been so obvious to her. "I love you, Sarah Williams. I loved you before you even knew about the labyrinth. Long before you ever dreamed I existed." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Didn't she read the book? It said it plain as day, '_the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl.'_ What was so surprising about that?

"Yes, you had to beat the labyrinth in order to be my queen, but I already knew you were my true love before you called on me for help. _I_ wrote that book for you. I wanted you to know me as I knew you, in hopes that you would one day call upon me. And it worked—too well. You followed the script to its final conclusion and broke my heart." She flushed at the memory, but didn't say anything so I continued.

"And still I waited for you. I opened up a gateway to my kingdom so that you would get to know my subjects, learn to love them, and through them, learn to see me differently. I followed you from a distance, almost on a daily basis—always nearby, but never within sight. I waited for you to call on me—to bring me back from the owl you banished me to—but you never did."

My face clouded over as the memories came back at full speed. "I had to watch as boy after boy garnered for your affection. And then you met James and I watched as he kissed you and held you… I was jealous of every touch. It was all too easy for me to defend you that night, Sarah—I had wanted to give into my crueler tendencies for quite some time." She looked away, because of my comment or because of the darkness of the memory, I couldn't say. But I wasn't done looking in her eyes.

I walked over to her side of the table and knelt down, gently lifting her chin so that our faces were level. "Yet, although you have given me back some of my strength, I am still not free. You hold my power."

"Me? I hold _your_ power. Impossible. Don't you think I would know it if I could do magic?"

"Oh, but Sarah, you can't," I said with a smirk. Sarah looked like she was going to kick me and I quickly softened my tone. "_You_ can't do magic here, but neither can I unless you call on me."

She arched her eyebrow at me to explain. I took in a deep breath and stood. This was it. I was sealing her fate. I had to trust that there truly was some attraction on her end, something to draw her to me and finally accept me. Or we were both as good as dead.

But for her to fully trust me, she had to know everything.

"Those six words you spoke twelve years ago carried more power than you could know. It is a secret guarded tightly by the Tuatha Dé Danann—one that I let slip when we last spoke. It is the reason that few of the Fae choose to enter into the Aboveground without being called. They don't want to risk falling in love with a human." I looked deep in her eyes as I spoke about love and was again rewarded with a blush, but she did not look away.

Her steady gaze challenged me to continue—I never back down from a challenge. "Just like in the Aboveground, members of the Fae seek companionship from the opposite sex for purposes other than _love._" I raised my eyebrows suggestively. Her chastising glare merely made me smile wider.

But this was a serious topic and I had to make her understand what she'd done to me—what it cost me. "However, when we find our true love, we give our hearts away completely. There have been very few cases where a member of the Tuathan de Danann has actually fallen in love with a human—stolen young women and men to use as consorts, yes, often; taken babies when asked, of course—but it is rare for one to impress upon us a brand of uniqueness that requires our all. Yet when that happens and we unconsciously give our hearts away, the man or woman gains a hold on us. The only way to regain our power is to succeed in earning the mortal's love in return, thus balancing out the magic." I was suddenly very nervous. I was laying it all out on the table for her—not only risking rejection again, but giving her the secret for destroying the only family I'd ever known.

Crystals materialized in my hand as I walked across the room to the shadows. I did not want her to see the unease written all over my face. "That is what my kind fears. They are unwilling to risk losing any of their control…to be made powerless by a human. They are afraid that once the secret is out, those in the Aboveground would use it to seek revenge for their lost children."

Sarah kept her eyes on the table for a long time; refusing to look in my direction as she sat in thoughtful silence. Finally she spoke, her voice soft, "If this is such a guarded secret, why are you telling it to me?"

My voice was just as quiet in response. "Because they know I told you about my father. They think you will try to destroy us."

"_They_?"

"The Elders. It is a council made up of nine of the eldest members of our race. My father is a member of the council. He gave me warning."

"Warning for what?"

I was not quite ready to give her the "join or die" speech, so I softened it. "He warned me that they would put an end to our relationship by the next new moon if you chose not to become my queen."

Her voice took on an angry edge as my words sank in. "And _these _are the events that have been 'put into motion?' This is the reason you chose to give me that letter?"

As usual, I was confused by the direction this conversation was headed, but I did my best to diffuse her anger. "The timeline merely sped up the decision I had made years ago. You are the only one for me, Sarah."

She stood and walked over to me, stopping just outside of my reach. Tilting her head, she peered up at me, scrutinizing my facial expression. I was unsure what it was that she saw -- so many different emotions welled up within me at her sudden approach.

"How do I know this isn't one of your tricks? How can I believe anything you say?" She asked the questions in earnest, but they couldn't have been more calculated to offend.

Taking a step closer, I looked down at her, my eyes narrowing. "I have never lied to you."

"Yes, but things aren't always as they seem," she argued.

If she was trying to get me angry, she was succeeding. "You take the lessons that you learned from the labyrinth and apply them all wrong! Why can't you realize that perhaps _I_ am not what _I _seem? That maybe I am not the villain that you think I am? Is that so difficult to believe?" I nearly shouted at her in my frustration.

I expected her to run away from my temper, or at the very least, shout back at me, but once again she did the exact opposite. She took a step forward and hesitantly reached out to grab the edge of my cloak, rubbing it within her fingertips, as if to determine if it was real. Studying the laces on my shirt, she murmured, "You may not be a villain, but you are no Mr. Nice Guy. How can I be sure this isn't some sort of revenge—some sort of game to get me to fall in love with you so you can crush me once and for all?"

Without hesitation, I lifted her chin, forcing her to face me. "Look into my eyes, Sarah. You know the truth."

She was now standing only inches from my body and I could feel the warmth radiating from her. I took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume.

It was too much—her nearness, her vulnerability, the blush in her cheeks—all called to me. I lost hold on my self-control, and took her in my arms, pressing my lips to hers as I had desired to do for so many years. Immediately she responded to the kiss, threading her fingers through my hair and pulling me closer, forming her body against mine. I could feel every delicate curve, every inch of her as she clung to me.

My hands slowly crept down to her lower back, lingering on the space where her shirt had lifted, which revealed the soft skin at her waist. It was smooth as satin to the touch and my mind automatically filled in the details on other, more forbidden, areas of her body.

After a moment, she pulled away for a breath and a slight moan escaped from within as I brushed my lips up and down her jaw line, bringing them back to her mouth with a forceful urgency. Her soft lips moving perfectly with mine were like a dream—flawless in every detail. It was heaven.

And then it was over.

Sarah abruptly began pushing out of my arms, shaking her head. "I can't do this," she whispered as she slowly backed towards the living room. "I can't do this."

"Sarah, wait…" I begged, grabbing for her hand. But she was already running. I heard her bedroom door slam shut as my body automatically transformed back into the owl.

My time was running out.

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**A/N** -- Hi everyone! Well, this chapter again didn't come off quite as I had planned, but I am suffering from a really bad head cold so you will have to forgive my stuffiness. I hope everything makes sense! :-D. I hated to stop it here, but the next chapter has a lot in it and I didn't want to overload you all.

Thank you again for all of your reviews. Many smiles back at you! :-D

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day!


	14. Chapter 13

_**What did you expect fairies to do?**_

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Sarah did not call me again. For two days she stayed holed up in her house, the curtains drawn, and the doors locked. I was not invited to observe her in any way in my owl form, leaving my crystals as my only window into her world. The silent tears that fell on her pillows carried little solace as the minutes ticked away. We didn't have time for her indecision.

My only hope was to visit the Elders to try to make them see reason. Sarah was falling in love with me—I was sure of it. Our laws had not been broken; she was going to become one of us. If they would just give me more _time_!

I still had one more day, but I wasn't going to take any chances. Changing into more noble-looking attire, I transported myself outside the Hall of the Elders and prepared myself to appear meek. Now was not the time to aggravate them.

Every eye turned to watch me as I entered the main assembly room filled with visiting courtiers. A few women openly gasped at my appearance—it was a rare occurrence for me to be seen outside the Goblin City. The room seemed a little more crowded than my previous visits and I could only speculate that the rumors of my situation had spread—many were waiting for the fall of the Goblin King.

Ignoring the lesser nobles, I zeroed in on the Council seated upon the dais at the end of the red carpet. As one they shifted in my direction, staring at me as openly as I did them. Their pale skin almost shimmered in the moonlight streaming through the windows—the moonlight that was soon to disappear in the new moon.

"Jareth, what a welcome surprise. To what do we owe the honor?" Rhain's false smile showed that the surprise was anything but welcome. He was the eldest of the Elders, although he could easily pass for a man in his late twenties in the Aboveground—as could the rest of the immortals. His sleek, black hair—tied with a piece of leather at the base of his neck—was polished, without a hair out of place. He hated my more relaxed style.

I bowed my head slightly in acknowledgement of his greeting. "Elder Rhain, I have come on a matter of urgent importance. I have heard of your plot to kill my _fíorghrá _and I'm here to stop it." There. That was polite enough.

"Your _true love_?" Cahal scoffed. Rhain held up his hand to silence the diminutive Fae—who looked more like a child than an ancient—and I focused on keeping my expression smooth. I would not allow him to bait me.

Placing his elbows on the table in front of him, Rhain leaned forward to rest his chin in his palm. His index finger tapped at his lips as he studied my face for an endless moment. Finally he spoke, his voice carrying the tone of authority. "We have seen this woman that you call your _fíor searc. _We have been observing her closely since your accidental slip nearly a week ago, in order to verify that she has not yet acted on that information. We witnessed your treasoness confession two nights ago. You are lucky she has yet to leave her home or communicate with others of her kind. We would not have postponed our duty as long as we have."

"But she is going to be my queen! The law surely does not apply in this case," I growled, trying hard to control my temper, but failing miserably. These men were supposed to represent justice; they were supposed to look out for the well-being of our kind, but there was no disguising the eagerness in which they waited to strike out against me.

Rhain's rich tenor rang out in a mockery of all things paternal. "Oh, but Jareth, we see no signs of movement in that direction. And, if I am not mistaken, she has already rejected you…more than once. It is out of our respect for your perceived love for her that we have waited to act as long as we have." Even the other Council members shifted uncomfortably in their seat at his bold-faced lie, but I had expected nothing less.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Torin. He and I had generally gotten along well—as the only redhead amongst the council, he stood out like a flame amongst the smoke, but it wasn't only his appearance that was different. Torin shared my dislike for genocide. Although not a fan of the goblins, he was not a proponent for ridding the society of them either. Next to my father, he was the only Elder I thought _might_ argue on my side. "Torin, you know me. Has there ever been anything that I've failed to achieve once I set my mind to task?"

He studied my eyes for a moment, a small smirk playing on his face. "No, Jareth, you have always gotten what you've wanted." His smile turned devious as he looked down at the small reflection pool on top of his desk. "I can see why she amuses you so—her beauty is beyond compare." It was then that I readily understood that they had their own windows open to Sarah's world.

I could feel the anger simmering from deep within as I realized they had been observing her around the clock. They would not give her the benefit of privacy in her most personal moments as I had. The Elders viewed humans almost as livestock, not bothering to learn their intricacies; culling the choice few for their own purposes. Torin was studying Sarah now in such a way—his eyes calculating her worth as a prized possession. I wanted to rip off his face.

As if discussing the weather, Torin glanced up at me and said, "She is very beautiful, but she has chosen not to live with us and thus, she needs to be exterminated. We cannot risk our entire civilization over a fancy pair of green eyes." Returning his gaze to the pool, he continued calmly, as if the thought had just occurred to him, "although, with those hips, she might make a good breeder…"

I was at his throat before I knew what happened, my gloved hand wrapping around his trachea, cutting off his air supply. He stared up at me in surprise and horror as I spoke through clenched teeth, "you will not _touch_ her."

The possibility of them turning her into a breeder had never crossed my mind. Yes, she would remain alive, but it would be a shadow of an existence. She would be kept in a comatose dreamland to be used as the Elders saw fit—the shell of her body carrying and birthing babies unaware until she stopped producing. Once her usefulness had worn out, she would be put to death and honored as an "eternal mother".

They would not use my Sarah that way!

Though it had only been moments, Torin's face had turned a bright red by the time my father placed his hand on my forearm. Ignoring Torin's gasping, Niall looked into my eyes and spoke in a calming voice, "Son, let him go. This does not help your cause."

Torin's fist batted uselessly at my wrist, and for a brief moment I deliberated, but Niall was right. It would only take a simple closing of my fingers to end Torrin's immortality, yet I allowed my father to calm me down. If I killed an Elder, I would surely die, and Sarah along with me—if she were lucky. I would not leave her to the other fate drawn out before her.

Releasing him, I walked back to my centralized location and stood at military rest. Pretending as if nothing had happened, I appealed once more to Rhain. "It is true that she rejected me once in her youth, but she is wiser now. She has matured into an ideal queen and I intend to make her mine. I simply need more _time_."

"And how much time would you request?" Niall asked before Rhain could respond. I could have kissed my father. The other Elders were not as pleased—Cahal went so far as to scowl in his direction, which was as close to open fighting that I'd ever witnessed amongst the Council.

Standing straight, I spoke my answer directly to Rhain. "I would request three months. Surely you have witnessed enough of her character to recognize she is not a threat to us. I would monitor her the entire time, I assure you."

Alastar scoffed. "What good would that do? You are powerless before her."

I took a step towards him and sneered. "Even without my magic, Alastar, I carry more power in the Aboveground than you ever will." It was probably not the best time to innumerate the advantages my birth gave me over the Council, but I was not in the mood to humor them.

Alastar's face darkened as he stood. The tallest of the Elders, he towered over me, but his height did not intimidate me and I took another step forward, readying myself to meet him.

"Enough!" Rhain thundered, drawing the eye of everyone in the room. Alastar quickly sat, his black eyes smoldering with undisguised hatred. "Jareth, will you ever learn to control your temper?" Rhain asked quietly, almost to himself.

He sighed, then spoke in a more audible tone, "Jareth, there is no guarantee that this mortal will choose you at the end of any allotted time, and the longer we wait, the greater the risk is for our people. If we gave you the time you requested and she still chose against you, would you allow the Council open access to the woman?"

My silence gave them more of an answer than any spoken, _"Hell no!"_ ever could.

"That was what I suspected. Jareth, I ask you to step outside while the Council deliberates." His direct stare alleviated any further argument. Shooting Torin one final glare, I tilted my head in a curt nod before making my way to the large wooden doors. The decision had already been made, but they needed to discuss what it was they were going to do with me.

I did not wait for their pronouncement, which would have left me chained up somewhere out of their way while they dealt with the "problem". Instead, I transported myself to the Aboveground and tried in vain to get Sarah's attention. I had just sped up our timeline. Their _deliberations_ were merely an act to keep the other nobles from rebelling. The Elders would not wait another day.

I scratched at her glass until my talons ached, hoping to annoy her into calling me into her presence. It was the only way to safeguard her. In my owl form I would be useless against their attack.

The whiny sound of nails on glass began to grate on my nerves, but still I continued. Surely she could not put up with it much longer!

I could hear her stomping around from within. Pacing? I couldn't be sure. I clawed harder.

Finally Sarah yanked open the curtains to glare at me. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying and her cheeks were sallow from lack of nourishment. Her hair was slightly disheveled, although it appeared as if she'd attempted to comb through it quickly.

She had never looked more beautiful.

"What do you _want_?" her cry was muffled through the window pane, but her facial expression spoke of annoyance…and curiosity.

Perching on the window ledge, I folded my wings behind me and tilted my head to try to convey the inefficiency of this mode of communication.

She laughed. How could she laugh at a time like this?

"Always the king. Even now, you're trying to intimidate me, but it won't work." She folded her arms and smiled fondly, as if speaking to an over-imaginative child.

I waved my wings in frustration. Did she think that I practically beat her window down for my own amusement?

My frantic attempts at communication merely caused her to smile broader. In response, she opened her mouth to speak, but froze as something off in the distance caught her eye. Turning my head around, I stared in horror at the single-file line of Elders marching out from the small orchard behind her home. They numbered only eight – my father had chosen to stay behind—but eight was five more than necessary for a simple execution.

They were majestic in their movements, their black cloaks fluttering in the wind like raven wings, yet their hair remaining supernaturally still. So purposeful were their steps that it appeared as if they were floating over the gently swaying grass. Sarah was transfixed by their elegance… as was their plan.

With my more powerful eyesight, I could see their lips moving in an incantation. I fought to break Sarah's concentration—flying in front of her eyes, blocking them from her vision—but it was too late; she was already falling under their spell.

As they drew nearer, she didn't hesitate to open her window to them. They were calling out to her, silent to my ears, but it would make perfect sense to her in her near hypnotic state.

I quickly flew to a nearby branch and hid myself amongst the leaves before the Elders had a chance to see me. It was too late. There was nothing I could do. Like my father before me, I watched in helplessness as my true love welcomed her enemies in—except she didn't even know that she needed to fight.

My heart broke as one by one the Council transported up to Sarah's room and began circling her. She was going to die and I was powerless to stop it. I found no consolation in the fact that every one of them would be executed when my powers were restored. My death would soon follow.

They continued to chant inaudibly, and Sarah lay down on the bed in response, a peaceful expression on her face. At least they weren't going to have her suffer.

I was growing impatient. It was an odd sensation—with all my being I wanted her to live, yet at the same time, I couldn't wait to exact my revenge.

But then I realized what was taking them so long. They weren't going to murder her after all.

Torin had gotten his wish.

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**A/N** – Poor Sarah…she's not even going to get the benefit of a quick death! And Jareth isn't going to get his Aboveground mojo back since she's not going to die. Whatever will happen? Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion…

Okay, hopefully it won't be next week and I'm not 100% certain the next chapter will be the conclusion—it is the climax after all! We'll all see together :-D.

Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ for all the reviews! Did you see that I'm over 100 now? How wonderful is that? More please…_PLEASE_! Begging seems to work wonders with you folk… :-D.

Now off to bed! Hope you all have a great day!


	15. Chapter 14

_**Don't lose your head!**_

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Pacing helplessly on my branch, I watched the enchantment through an open window. Sarah lay on the bed, seemingly in a peaceful slumber; her arms hugging her body close in a comforting embrace as if instinctively she knew she was in danger, but was reassuring herself everything would be fine. A light pink glow began to outline the slender shape of her body. It would be obvious to any Fae, marking her as a Breeder to all who came near. Not that she would interact with many outside her Keeper. She would be a zombie—moving and responding only to his touch—dead to the rest of the world.

To think I once thought this practice to be acceptable—even a kindness!

All Fae children are taught of the Eternal Mothers as part of their basic education. It is rare for a Fae female to conceive, let alone carry a child to term and deliver. The survival of our race is contingent on the births from these mortal women. It is a requirement to memorize all of their names and be able to recite them at command in recognition of their great gifts.

There are only nine breeders selected each century from those ignorant waifs who still view the Tuatha Dé Danann as the gods we once were. Our tutors taught us that those who were chosen had offered themselves up as a sacrifice. They considered it a great honor since only the most beautiful women are worthy to bear our young.

The Eternal Mothers have a wing in the Council chambers, each with their own ornately decorated bedroom. It is kept off limits from the general population in order to protect the unborn children, however I was curious in my youth and my father, as one of the Council members, was a Keeper.

For my 200th birth year, my father indulged my curiosity and permitted me to view his Breeder. As we walked down the long corridor to her room, Niall had explained that there was no love felt between him and the women he chose as Breeders. It was a duty to the Fae; a duty he admittedly enjoyed, but a duty nonetheless. He was proud of the nearly 600 children he had fathered, however he assured me that he had only loved once: my mother. That was why _I_, though not of his blood, was the only son he kept and why I was his heir.

It took me many centuries to finally understand the look of pain that overtook him when he spoke of love—when I met my own true love.

I hadn't known what to expect as my father ushered me into that room, a smile of accomplishment on his lips, but I hadn't anticipated meeting a living doll. She was striking; with creamy skin, long golden hair and brilliant blue eyes, but those eyes were flat—glossed over with no intelligence behind them. Her belly was swollen to near full term and a constant stream of female Fae kept watch over her, making sure that there were no complications with the birth. The woman never interacted with her attendants, nor acknowledged my presence. She merely sat in a recliner, staring off into space with a perpetual smile. I was told that the mortal would be happy in her dream state; she would think all her fantasies were coming true and escape the pain of childbirth; the pain of life. And externally it seemed true—all Eternal Mothers had smiles on their faces.

I never asked to return after that day. Although I understood the necessity behind the tradition, it was unnerving to see someone stripped of her personality, without a thought that wasn't placed there by my father.

Yet, I had always been under the impression that the mothers gave their bodies willingly. It had never occurred to me that they would be placed under a spell _before_ the _Comhaontú An Chuid Eile Dá Saol_ was spoken. Sarah wasn't being given that choice—not that I would have let her choose that empty shell of a life—how many others had been taken unaware?

Standing around her bed, the Elders fanned out amongst Sarah's possessions in the shape of a hexagon—the most basic form of elementals in nature. The other two stood guard, chanting with the six, but not part of the actual spell. Torin stood at Sarah's head; she would be his property once the spell was completed.

He would be the first to die.

Lightning crashed, illuminating Sarah's house in a sickly pale glow as if punctuating the sordid activities occurring inside. The wind kicked up, tossing the tree on which I resided from side to side in an echo of my fury. Digging my talons into the branch, I held on, allowing nature to show my displeasure.

Inside the room, I watched as one by one, Sarah's mirrors began shattering. The Elders stopped chanting for the moment, looking at each other in concern. They were not oblivious to my anger and I could see their confidence level dropping. They needed Sarah to willingly follow them Underground (willingly under a trance to be exact), but if I had enough power to stop the spell, that wouldn't happen.

However Sarah had already succumbed to her hypnotic state. She would not wake. Soon she would enter the dream world they were creating for her and it would be too late to reverse the effects. She would be gone from me forever.

With that thought, something inside me began to change. It started slow, like water trickling through a tiny hole in a dam, but I could feel my power. It wanted to come to me. As I concentrated on it, the hole grew, drawing in more magic from the electric pulse of nature as if it too was appalled by the involuntary enslavement of Sarah Williams. Moments later, the dam burst altogether and more power flowed through me than I thought possible. I was stronger than I had ever been—and full of vengeance.

In an instant I had transformed and stood on her balcony, the wind blowing my black cape out menacingly behind me. But I didn't hesitate for a dramatic entrance. Throwing my arm out in front of me, I pointed my gloved hand at Torin before he even knew I was in the room. With a flick of my wrist, he was thrown across the bed and through the air, landing against the opposite wall on top of a pile of glass. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth where he had bit his tongue nearly in two upon landing, but he was not dead. I wanted to savor every minute of his torture.

The rest of the Council stopped chanting and stared at me in disbelief. Gone was the customary twinkle of mischief in my eye; the Elders beheld a man full of rage—and they were afraid.

Rhain stepped forward in a pitiful attempt to try to regain some sort of control of the situation. "Jareth," he simpered, "you regained your power. How wonderful!"

I sneered as his voice trembled. "I assure you that _wonderful _is not a word you will use to describe my power momentarily."

The Elders involuntarily took a step towards one another in an attempt to feel a little more solidarity. In the Underground, their combined strength would overpower me in an instant. Here, however, they were weaker than small children, and they knew it. "Why, Jareth, there is no need to be so angry. The girl has not been harmed. And if you would have remained for the verdict, you would know that we have opted not to execute her. You should be pleased."

"Elder Rhain, _Sarah_ has been harmed," I said menacingly, taking a step closer to them and causing them to retreat in return. "She has not been given the right of choice. You would dare to take her will from her without the free acknowledgement of the Agreement for Life!"

"The _Comhaontú An Chuid Eile Dá Saol_ is merely a formality. If given the choice between a life in a dream, honored amongst the Fae, or death, what mortal wouldn't choose life?" Cahal never was one to know when to keep his mouth shut.

In two long strides I was at his side, gripping his collar in my fist. Slowly, I lifted him off the ground so that his pixie-like face could look me in the eyes. "Sarah." I growled before throwing him away from me. He landed on his back and quickly moved to stand, refusing to look weak despite his obvious disadvantages.

They didn't know my Sarah as I did. They didn't realize that she had already been offered her dreams—and rejected them for duty. She would never willingly give up her mind to have a shadow of an existence.

Adjusting my gloves, I turned to face him once more. "Besides, Elder Cahal, you forgot the third option: an immortal life as my queen."

"Ha! Queen of the goblins. What a prize." Alastar snickered.

Before I could respond, Rhain's voice rang out in the room. "Enough! Jareth, you called this upon yourself. It was either extinguish her life or extend it under our care. Now, we will be willing to pretend that you did not attack two members of the Council this evening if you head back to your castle this instant."

I laughed. As if they had any room for bargaining. "_Gentlemen,_" the sarcastic tone of my voice was not lost on them. Rhain frowned. "I will not be returning to my castle without my queen. However, _you_ will be removing the spell that you placed on Sarah and you will leave immediately."

With a wicked grin that did not reach my eyes, I added, "If she is sufficiently unharmed, I might even allow you to take Torin with you."

The Elders looked at one another in shock. No one had ever spoken to them in such a manner. They didn't know what to do. But I was in no mood to offer them a learning curve.

"Or, if you prefer, you can all die here, right now, leaving only one surviving Elder on the Council. I'm sure my father would go lenient on me, considering the punishment for stealing a mortal to the Underground unwished is death." My eyebrow rose with my bluff as I crossed my arms, tapping my finger against my bicep impatiently.

Rhain studied my face for one brief moment before deciding I was serious. He nodded and began ushering the others back around Sarah. Apparently Torin wasn't needed for this part as they left him lying on the floor. The chanting began.

There would surely be consequences for my actions, but there wasn't too much they could do to me. My crystals could clearly replay the night's activities for the other Fae and the Elders feared losing their power too much to risk punishing me. I hoped I didn't need any favors in the future.

After a few minutes, the chanting stopped and stillness overtook the room. My heart beat a little faster as I looked over at Sarah's peaceful form—no longer glowing. "Why are her eyes still closed?"

"She rests. She will wake soon and believe it all to have been a dream." Rhain answered as they moved to gather Torin. "Jareth…" he began, undisguised bitterness souring his tone. "This is not over. If you so desire to return to the Underground, she must either be your queen…or dead. There are no other options now. Do you understand?"

I sighed and bit back my retort. I was getting my way—more or less—there was no need to anger the Council further. They were allowing her to live; however, her life was now dependant on mine. No Fae could survive long without the magic of the Underground; our mortality creeps on quickly.

But that wasn't a worry. Sarah would choose to be my queen. I knew she would.

"I understand, Elder Rhain," I replied as meekly as possible under the circumstances. He was not impressed.

In an instant, they had transported back to the Hall of the Council, leaving me alone with a sleeping Sarah. Walking over to her, I gently pulled the quilt up from the end of the bed to cover her. A sad smile played on my lips as I brushed a stray hair away from her face.

"We survived this round, my love. Will we survive the next?" I whispered before easing down to lounge beside her on the bed, boots and all.

Sometime through the night, I allowed myself to fall into a light slumber. When I awoke, Sarah was using my chest as a pillow, a contented smile on her face. My heart leapt at her nearness, as did other parts of my body, which I quickly attempted to control.

It wasn't long before Sarah began to stir, her eyes fluttering as the golden rays of the sun blew through the clouds into her open window. Her smile broadened for a moment as she stretched out her arms, nearly hitting me in the face.

Then she opened her eyes.

"Ah!" she screamed, jumping out of bed and pulling her quilt up to her chest.

I chuckled. "Good morning to you too."

"What are you doing here? Like _that!_ I thought you couldn't _be_ like that…around me…here." She accused, stumbling over the words in her confusion.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Sarah, I am surprised at you. I saved your life last night and this is how you thank me?"

Her forehead wrinkled in puzzlement. "You saved my life?"

Still lounging on her bed, I casually placed my hands behind my head, making myself comfortable. "Yes, Sarah, I did. You were well on your way to being enslaved by eight of the most powerful Fae in the Underground."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't say anything right away. Eventually she sat back down on the edge of her bed, still clinging to her quilt as if it were a life preserver. "I thought it was all a dream," she whispered mostly to herself. Turning to me, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What are you asking for your reward?"

The impish twinkle in my eye returned as I slowly looked her up and down. She blushed, but did not look away from my gaze. Finally, I smirked.

"Why, Sarah. I don't ask for much. Merely a queen."

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**A/N**—Finally I got this chapter done! Please don't kill me for taking so long! I got stuck and the chapter went in four different directions before ending up here. I want to thank **Nyllewell **for her help channeling Jareth. :-D. I hope you aren't too disappointed with my action scene.

As you can see, there will definitely be at least one more chapter…and now I think I might need two more to finish it up. The thing just keeps growing! But I'm in the mood for some sexy Jareth seduction…the next chapter should have some good stuff :-D.

Thank you again for all your reviews and encouragement. You are amazing! **Lumi**…I love the goblin throwing threats—you made me smile :-D.

Okay…hopefully the next chapter will flow out a little easier for me and I'll get it up soon—but no promises…I have a busy weekend planned… Happy Thursday! :-D


	16. Chapter 15

_**Look what I am offering you—your dreams.** _

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_Turning to me, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What are you asking for your reward?"_

_The impish twinkle in my eye returned as I slowly looked her up and down. She blushed, but did not look away from my gaze. Finally, I smirked._

"_Why, Sarah, I don't ask for much. Merely a queen."_

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Sarah glared at me.

"Get out." Clutching the quilt to her chest with one hand, she stood and pointed to the window, her slender finger extending as gracefully as a dancer frozen in a pose.

I hadn't expected her to command me out of her presence. Instinctively I waited for the vibration that pulled me along with her fancy, but nothing happened. Her words may not have carried as strong a magic charm as that beginning with "I wish," yet the sentiment was clear enough. I should have at least felt an impulse to leave, but there was nothing.

A brief flash of surprise crossed my face until I realized that she must not have really meant it.

Lounging on her coverlet, one black boot resting casually on top of the other, I felt the corner of my mouth curl up in a small smirk. "Come, come, Sarah. After all we've been through you can't expect to get rid of me just like that."

Her chin rose in stubbornness. "Sure I can. You've never stuck around _before_."

My heart leapt a little at the hint of bitterness in her tone—the hint of longing. So, she had wanted me to fight harder, had she? It wasn't enough that my life revolved around hers; now I was expected to best my very essence in order to be with her. She wanted the impossible.

She still did not understand the power she had over me here. I was moved around by _her_ whims. When she dismissed me, I went. I had no choice.

Until today.

My smile grew feral as a thought came to my mind. "Sarah… what exactly did you dream last night?" My tone of voice made it clear as to which _dream_ I was referring.

Her face flushed and she took a step away from the bed. "That's none of your business."

"Really?" My eyebrow rose in mock disbelief as I sat up, studying her in the early morning light. Gone were the tell-tale marks of crying that had marred her complexion the previous night—the spell had replenished her physically as it attempted to seduce her into the world of fantasy. As always, I was enthralled with her eyes as they narrowed in defiance; the blush enveloping her cheeks caused a stark contrast and they shone brilliantly, like emeralds in the sun. Though she had slept well, her long hair remained relatively smooth as it cascaded over her creamy shoulders to cover the ample curve of her breasts. Her appearance was striking and my mind automatically ran through thoughts of what she hid underneath the quilt.

She took another step back in response to my intense gaze and her bare foot stepped off the rug onto the wood floor—still covered with broken glass. With a wave of my hand, I restored the room to order and stood, folding my arms across my chest. My eyes twinkled with amusement as I faced her from across the bed. "It's none of my business, is it?"

Sarah stared at the room in amazement, as if seeing it – or me—for the first time. I had told her I didn't have power here unless she willed it and as far as she knew, she hadn't. I could almost see the mental calculations as she regarded me with apprehension.

"I wish the Goblin King would leave. Right now," she breathed, her voice trembling.

My grin deepened. Slowly I began moving toward her, each step measured to impress upon her my resistance to her commands. At my advance, Sarah began to retreat, but soon her back was up against the wall. She stared at my like a frightened mouse about to be pounced on by a tiger—or an owl.

"I'm afraid, my dear Sarah, that there has been a slight power shift in my favor. So I will ask you again…" My hand moved to lean against the wall as it had so many years ago, and her eyes widened in a tantalizing mixture of desire and uncertainty. With deliberate ease, I moved in so that my lips caressed the delicate flesh at the base of her ear as I murmured, "What did you dream last night?"

The quilt she held as a shield against my attack stopped moving as her breath caught. Her eyes closed, and for once I was grateful not to see those green gems tormenting me—it meant she was allowing herself to hesitate in the power of the moment. My own spicy aroma lingered in her hair where her head had rested against my chest over night—complimenting her own floral scent in a delicate weave—marking her as mine. My mouth moistened as I imagined the taste of her flesh on my tongue and I instinctually moved in to gently kiss the soft curve where her neck met her shoulder. I reveled in the beauty of her flawless skin. She was perfect.

A sigh of pleasure encouraged me to move up the graceful line, slowly making my way to the ruby treasure of her lips. Her chin rose ever higher in an attempt to escape the inevitable, but I was not willing to let her get away this time. What hadn't been clear to me during my fight for her survival became blatantly obvious to me in the light of day. As part of the spell, Sarah would have been _asked_ to create her own dream world. She must have dreamt of me. More specifically, she must have told me she loved me in her dream. Since she was being asked to create her fantasy world, it would have been a conscious thought. She would have wanted to say it aloud—she _had_ said it to the minds of the Elders. That is the only way I could have gotten my power back.

So. She loved me. She'd admitted it. With that knowledge, it was only natural to take her in my arms as _I_ had only dreamt of doing for so long.

My lips ghosted over her jaw line and I watched her bite her lower lip with the eagerness that comes from withholding passion. A knowing smile lit upon my face as I recognized my ability to bring her pleasure. And I was just getting started.

I brought my lips slowly to the corner of her mouth, but hesitated as her eyes snapped open. "Dreams?" she asked as if something had just occurred to her. She jerked her head away and fixed me with a menacing look. "Dreams!"

On that shouted word, she placed her palms on my chest and shoved me away with all her might, her quilt all but forgotten in her sudden rage. I stared at her dumbfounded, but she was just getting started. "Get away from me! How could I ever trust you? You claim that you came here to save me from those other Fae, when _you_ tried to do the same thing with the peach and the ballroom. '_I'll give you your dreams,'_ you said. You're no better than _them_!"

I stared at her with poorly disguised shock as she began jabbing her index finger against my chest. "How dare you act like you are some sort of hero, when you would just as happily have made me your slave! You even told me that's what you intended, _'just let me rule you,'_ you said! And to think that I was beginning to fall for your game! All those lies about being hopelessly in love with me—about being under my power—when you so obviously are _not_. How could I have thought, even for a moment, that you wanted anything from me other than mindless obedience!"

The words tripped off her tongue as she stared at me with her dragon eyes, burning me with their intensity, but she wasn't done. "I burst the dream bubble you created and all you wanted was the slave that got away! I am not some _whore_ to be traded amongst the Fae!" She paused as if a new thought had just occurred to her. "That's it, isn't it? That's how you go them to go away—by staking your prior claim! What was the price, Goblin _King_? How much did I cost you?"

Each word she said stung more than the last, like little pin pricks slowly changing to knife wounds as they jammed deeper into my heart. The venom flowing from her tongue washed away the amorous feelings of moments before, replacing them with bitterness. "You know nothing." I shot back, my own eyes narrowed in anger as I took a step back towards her.

She reached her hand up to slap me, but my reflexes were faster. Grabbing her wrist, I pinned her arm above her head, and leaned in to her, ensuring that my presence was felt. One does not strike the Goblin King.

Her eyes widened in fear and astonishment as if she had surprised herself at what she had attempted to do. My face hovered inches above hers, and even now I was aware of her body being pressed against mine through her thin nightgown. "Sarah," I growled softly, "I assure you if I had meant to keep you in a dream state, you would not be awake to have this conversation." Glancing down at her lips, I hesitated for a moment, fighting against the magnetic pull drawing me in. But now was not the time.

My voice was softer when I spoke once more, "You cannot _begin _to understand the price I paid to keep you_...you._" Pushing against her slightly, I shoved myself back and exited the room, my cape flowing dramatically behind me. Before I'd taken two steps down the hallway, Sarah's door closed with a click—she must have been more shaken than I thought—I had expected her to slam it. With no where to go, I made my way to the kitchen and heard the water for her shower turn on as I began to pace.

That woman was so infuriatingly presumptuous! She knew absolutely nothing about magic and yet she was _certain_ that I had been trying to _take her as my slave_. I already have mindless morons to do my bidding and many women have desired my bed over the years. How could she possibly think that I would waste my time _pining_ over her for such a crude end result?

I conjured up some crystals, juggling them between my fingers in an attempt to soothe my nerves, but the normally calming motion just served to remind me of the many hours I had spent viewing Sarah as she ran through her various activities. In my frustration, I threw one across the room, causing it to evaporate just before it hit the wall. As the magical residue sparkled to the ground, I put the rest of the crystals away and sat, leaning back slightly in the chair so that I could rest my feet on her table.

She had been told that nothing was as it seemed and in this instance that was true—I was _more_ in love with her than it seemed. I was completely infatuated with her—even in her pigheadedness. How _dare_ she sully my pure intentions by comparing my loving desire to _give_ her the essence of her dreams, to the Elders' desire to enslave her in them! It was absurd!

My stomach growled and I took a moment to conjure up a peach. I sighed as I remembered that my time here once again was limited. Already I could feel the effects of this magicless place draining my reserves. I could hold onto my magic longer than most of the Fae simply because of my parentage, but even I would lose my strength within another few days. As always, time was not on our side.

The juice from the peach dripped down my chin as it satiated both my hunger and thirst. All of the food Sarah wasted in her meal preparations when a little magic peach was all she needed.

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, I quickly vanished the pit and wiped my mouth with a kerchief—no need to remind her of our…argument. As she entered the room, she found me lounging with apparent ease; I would not be seen to sulk like a child.

Strolling to the counter, Sarah reached up to the cabinet to begin her morning routine of hot chocolate and a bagel. She stopped just shy of reaching her mug, placed her hands on the counter and quickly spun around to face me, her hair flying out behind her like a cape. She studied me for a moment and then took a deep intake of breath before speaking.

"Why are you still here?" The words came out quietly, almost with an apologetic tone, as if she realized she had overreacted and had expected me to have left her. Immediately all my bitterness toward her melted away and I fought to understand where she had gotten her foolish ideas. Of course she didn't know any different. How could she? Sarah, always full of assumptions…

Sitting up in a more gentlemanly fashion, I gazed into her eyes and saw the deep insecurity there. What had caused that? She used to be so strong; so sure of herself. Why was she suddenly so meek? Well, not meek—Sarah could never be called _meek_—more like self-conscious. It pulled at my heartstrings, causing my voice to soften in response and wiping away the sarcastic comment waiting on my tongue.

"I have no where to go." I answered simply.

She arched one beautiful eyebrow in response, but seemed to accept my answer. A quiet truce had been formed.

However, I couldn't resist teasing her. "Besides, I have yet to collect my agreed upon reward," I said, my lips quirking into a smirk. Looking her directly in the eye, I clarified, "I always get what want…eventually."

She stared at me a moment, her face unreadable, before finally smiling. "I'm sure you do."

I couldn't help but smile back in response.

We spent the day together, trading stories. She was not surprised by my depth of knowledge about her, in fact, she often told her stories as if I were a participant in the event with her—and in many cases, I was.

She asked many questions about my past, the goblins, the Elders, my duties—always steering clear of _her_ place in my kingdom. It was an unspoken agreement that we not speak of that. However, time necessitated that agreement needed to be broken.

The night was dark as we sat on her porch swing looking up at the stars. It was the first day of the new moon—the original date of her demise—but I tried to keep such thoughts out of my mind. Instead, I focused on the casual way she rested against my shoulder, allowing me to run my fingers through her silky hair. We had sat like that in comfortable silence for almost an hour. It felt so right and neither of us was inclined to move.

Unfortunately, the ache in my chest had grown to the point where I could no longer keep it hidden. As a particularly excruciating stabbing pain made its way through my defenses, I flinched and groaned softly, trying hard to keep silent, but failing.

"Jareth, what's wrong?" Sarah asked in alarm. She sat up and flipped on the porch light, her face colored with concern.

A part of me suddenly grew very warm. "You said my name. You called me _Jareth_." It was the first time she'd spoken it aloud in my presence and the significance to me was great.

Something in my eyes caused her to smile tenderly, and she lifted her hand to gently trace the outline of my lips.

Stupid heart.

I suddenly was ablaze and frozen at once. My heart burned as it began to slow and I doubled over with the pain.

"Jareth!" she screamed, grabbing at my shoulders. "Jareth! Answer me! What's wrong?"

The pure panic in her voice was enough to cause a new kind of ache in my heart—guilt. I tried to sit up for her sake--tried to be strong--but my voice still came out as a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. Time is running short. You have to make your choice…Now."

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**A/N - ** Okay, this is it. We're coming up on the last chapter…really this time :-D. As usual, I wanted to thank you all for your reviews…you have no idea what they mean to me! It is such an encouragement to know that you like the story enough to let me know. Thank you so much!

And a huge thank you to **ChilaliSnowbird **who pointed out that Sarah would probably make a correlation between the peach and the Elders…stuck in Jareth mode as I was, I completely missed that. I hope I played that out to your satisfaction—no broken noses because "one does NOT strike the Goblin King" :-D…

As always, reviews are coveted and hugely appreciated!

Here's hoping for a quicker turnaround this time! :-D


	17. The End

_**It's only forever, not long at all.** _

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Happy was the day that Sarah Williams became Sarah, Queen of the Goblins in mind as well as deed. I would like to say that it happened the night of my near demise, but alas, my Sarah is nothing if not complicated.

Oh, she said she'd be my queen right away—it was inevitable anyway and she was loathe to see me die. We were immediately transported back to my castle where my power and health were fully restored, but she had her own conditions…

"Jareth, you said I could have my dreams," she breathed as my lips moved from hers to gently trail up and down her neck. We were alone in my chambers and I was ready to take my prize.

"Yes, my dear. I offered you your dreams and you shall have them all," I whispered into her ear, nibbling a little before returning to her neck. Her delicate flesh called out to me from the soft V of her green tank top. I was tempted to slide the thin straps off her arms entirely—so long had I waited to view that which she had always kept hidden—but I kept my hands firmly clasped at the small of her back, savoring every moment of our first encounter. I had waited fifteen years for this night; I would not rush it now.

As my mouth moved to slowly caress her collarbone, Sarah inhaled sharply with anticipation and tilted her head further back for easier access. Smiling in response, I pulled her closer to me—our bodies practically welded together—and moved us a little nearer to the bed. But though her body reacted automatically to my experienced touch, her mind _had_ to ruin it.

Pushing me back slightly, Sarah tried hard to keep her voice from shaking, though the pleasure was a little too much for her self-control. "Jareth, I want a white wedding…with _all_ that entails."

My lips stopped their graceful decent to her décolletage and I froze. _'Blasted woman!'_ I screamed within my head.

Redoubling my efforts, I continued kissing up her neck as I argued my point, trying hard to make her mind stop working. "Sarah, by our customs, once the king—that would be me—has given approval for a marriage—which I have—the marriage has taken place. You are already my queen. There are celebrations still to be had, but for all intents and purposes, we are married." Oh how my heart beat faster just to say that. Sarah was _my_ _queen_.

The fire of passion was causing a blush to creep out along her skin, but Sarah always had a strong will. "I have dreamt of walking down the aisle on my father's arm since I was a little girl…"

I straightened and looked her in the eyes. Her rapid breathing and dilated pupils told me that she was just as excited about the foreplay as I was. This must have been _very_ important to her. I sighed. "Very well. If that will make you happy…"

The look of utter joy that encompassed her face almost made up for the postponement of our festivities. Almost.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me with abandonment. I had self-control, but not as much as she was giving me credit for. Chuckling, I unwrapped her arms from my neck and kissed the back of her hand. "Sarah, if you want to have your _white wedding_ preserved, I suggest I move you to a new location." She smiled back and in an instant we were in the guest bedroom two doors down the hall.

Before I left her that night, I passed on _my_ demands. "You will have free access to make the wedding however you want it. Tell me what you want and it will be done, but I warn you—I will not wait long." She nodded, and with one last, tender kiss I left her for the evening and returned to my room for a cold shower.

It amused me when she arrived the next day with her dream wedding all listed out. She looked at me sheepishly as she explained that, unfortunately, the earliest we could be married would be three months—after all, we would need to make sure that the guests had plenty of notice. I tried not to laugh at her, but my Sarah was still quite naïve about my magic skills.

The wedding she had planned, took place the very next day, in the same park where I had watched her play all those years ago. All of her extended family was in attendance, and all of her family's friends. Each one was certain they had received the invitation two months prior and had been eagerly anticipating the day.

I had created a whole life with Sarah in her family's memories, so when Sarah's father acquiesced to my request to take his daughter's hand (again, in his memory), it was to an old family friend—someone who had been in the picture for years—long before James. It came as no surprise to anyone that Sarah had finally come around to seeing me as a lover as well as a friend. Her step-mother was quite beside herself with happiness.

Since Sarah had moved away from home nearly ten years prior, I had not had a chance to observe Toby's transition into adolescence. It did not surprise me—though his parents tried to hide it—that he had quite the rebellious streak for a thirteen-year-old. He had grudgingly agreed to be my best man to appease his sister, of whom he was secretly quite proud. His parents made him dye his hair back from emo black to a slightly more natural peroxide blond, but he kept in the single ear piercing; his piece de la resistance.

I had to smile at his spunk. He would have made a fine heir. However, if all went according to plan, I would have my own heir on the throne within a few decades. That thought made me glow with pride.

Despite the fact that she was already my queen, I awaited Sarah's arrival down the aisle with a nervousness that was rare. Today she would be mine completely—by her own choice—and that night we would consummate our love. I felt like a lovesick teenager all over again.

The orchestra began playing the Theme from Canon in D and I had to turn a laugh into a cough as the first groomsman led his bridesmaid down the aisle. The man was nearly seven feet tall with bright red hair and beard. He awkwardly escorted the diminutive lady beside him, her wispy tresses trailed down her back in crimson curls, contrasting starkly with the blue sequined dress she wore. She took her job seriously, her head held high—a full lady in waiting.

The next couple consisted of Toby and his fair Maid of Honor. I almost pitied him as he stared, awestruck by the blond beauty he escorted. Her blue eyes glowered at me as they slowly marched up the aisle. Hoggle was not enjoying his role in Sarah's wedding one bit. At least Sir Didymus and Ludo were attempting to play _their_ parts.

We all had to make sacrifices to give Sarah her perfect day. Sarah's guests didn't see "the Goblin King," they saw a regular human male. My face lacked its sparkle and coloration, I had magicked my frosted blond hair into a shorter "surfer style", and I had even added in perfectly straight, white teeth. Not to mention, the boring, black tuxedo I had donned according to her specifications. If I had to lower myself to the role of mere human, the least Hoggle could do was act grateful that I allowed Sarah's choice for Maid of Honor. After all, it wasn't like he would be inconspicuous as a mythical dwarf! I arched my eyebrow and Hoggle quickly composed "her" features to a more pleasant expression.

As the wedding march began, I strained with the rest of the audience to get the first view of my bride as she rounded the fragrant Vibernum bushes full of white blossoms. No one noticed that all the trees and bushes were dressed with delicate white flowers—as if a snowstorm had covered the park in the middle of July.

I recalled my place just in time—it would not do to have Sarah see me gawking like a simpleton. I forced myself to look away—which was why I saw Hoggle gazing adoringly at my queen, his jaw dropped in awe. I quickly flicked him with magic, reminding him of his place and he carefully began studying his high heels. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my tuxedo and regally turned to watch my bride walk up the aisle.

My jaw dropped.

Sarah had been stunning in her ball gown twelve years earlier, but she had still been a child. This Sarah was a woman in full bloom. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, dark tendrils cascading from the front to wave gently in the breeze beneath her lacey veil. She looked every ounce the queen in her ball gown-styled satin wedding dress. The cut of her neckline outlined her bosom beautifully, and a touch of the wild was added as silver leaves drifted across the bodice and ran up the halter.

Everything else was forgotten as I stared in amazement at the woman walking toward me. She was smiling with pure delight and in that instant I realized what I had been too blind to see before—I had never really loved her.

It started with the building of the labyrinth. Yes, the goblins needed protection and that was my avowed reason for building it, but if I was honest with myself, I built it because I needed a queen. The goblins just allowed me to use them to appear noble in my intentions.

When I realized that I'd fallen in love with Sarah when she was still a child, I gave her that book in hopes that she would run the labyrinth—not because I wanted to fulfill her dreams of adventure like I had told myself, but because I wanted to spend time with her as a man. I gave her challenges not to help her grow, but to give me the queen that I desired. After she spoke those six words and completely stripped me of my Aboveground power, I continued following her because _I_ needed _her._

I saved her from James because _I_ couldn't stand to see her hurt. I took away Hoggle, not because I wanted Sarah to learn to trust her instincts, but because _I_ wanted to be her confidant. I saved her from the Elders because she was supposed to be _my_ queen. I reissued my proposal because I would die without her. I even gave her the wedding of her dreams out of the selfish desire for her to come to me completely of her own free will.

Looking at the radiant creature gracefully marching down the aisle on her father's arm, I suddenly realized just how unworthy of her love and devotion I was. How much of my love for her had been about _me_?

And yet, somehow I knew that Sarah understood my selfish tendencies and still loved me. _Me_—Jareth—not the Goblin King. She saw past all my pretensions and loved me through all my egocentricity. I was humbled as never before.

Sarah floated to my side, looking up at me adoringly with those beautiful green eyes, and her father gently placed her hand in mine—symbolizing the passing of his daughter's protection to me. I trembled at her touch and vowed then and there to _love_ her—to think of her needs before my own. To contemplate her feelings before I acted. It would take some getting used to—I was conditioned to feel superior—but Sarah was worth that and so much more.

The preacher immediately began speaking about everlasting love and the sanctity of marriage, but I was so enraptured by Sarah that I heard none of it. Finally the man got to the part where Sarah was supposed to speak her vows and she garnered my full attention.

"Jareth…" she held my gaze as a single tear escaped her lower lashes. With my gloves removed, I allowed myself to gently wipe the tear from her cheek, relishing in the softness of her skin. In return, Sarah lifted her hand to tenderly brush a stray hair from my cheek, allowing her hand to linger there for a moment before continuing.

"Jareth, I love you. It has always been you, though I was too headstrong to admit it." She smiled up at me coyly from under her long lashes and my heart leapt uncontrollably."I trust you with my life. I trust you with my heart. You are my hero and I am honored to be your queen. I promise to love you and respect you for as long as we both shall live."

It did not escape my notice that she left out the traditional "obey you," but that wouldn't be my Sarah. It was close enough—and more than I'd ever hoped for.

Although I wanted to retain my dignity, I couldn't stop the smile that lit my face as I stared down at the woman I loved. She was breathtaking. And she was mine.

"Jareth?" the preacher prompted.

I shook myself mentally as I smirked in his general direction. Turning back to Sarah, I opened my mouth to speak, but the long speech I had prepared the day before to declare my eternal love and devotion died on my tongue. Though it had all been true, I hadn't really understood those words until I'd seen Sarah giving herself willingly as my bride. She was the symbol of purity and perfection and my vow to her had to come straight from my heart.

"Sarah, you are everything to me. Without you, I would die." Gazing deep into her eyes, I willed her to feel the truth behind those words. When I spoke again, my voice was filled with tenderness. "With you as my queen, I finally know how it feels to truly be a king. You have taught me what it means to value something greater than myself, for the love that you have willingly bestowed upon me is a treasure far surpassing any riches that a kingdom could hold. Sarah, I vow to love you for all eternity and beyond. I promise to consider your needs before my own. And I _will_ make all of your dreams come true, as it _is_ in my power to do so."

Lost in each other's eyes, the world around us blurred. It was just Sarah and I. Forever.

"Do you have the rings?" '_Drat that preacher!'_

I sighed and turned to Toby who actually had the gall to smirk up at me. Yes, he would have made a fine prince.

Toby handed me the ring I had designed for Sarah. It was an extravagant piece of white gold, carved into an intricately woven vine and on either side of the 3 carat diamond, the vines wound together to give the ghosted appearance of a barn owl. Sarah loved it. Her ring to me was bought from a jeweler in town—the one thing that she refused to allow me to create using my magic. She had wanted it to be a surprise. How she found the perfect ring on such short notice was beyond me, but she managed as always. The ring she chose was similar to my ring for her, except the entire white gold band was etched with delicate owl feathers, culminating with an owl head, complete with two diamonds for eyes.

We exchanged the rings, an Aboveground bobble to wear on our annual visits to her parents' home—they would not expect us to travel all the way from Ireland more than once a year—and then I was given _permission_ to kiss my wife. I eagerly wrapped her in my embrace and kissed her fervently. It took all my willpower not to transport us back to _our_ chambers, but Sarah wanted a reception as well, complete with dancing and singing. So, after several cleared throats, I released her. The twinkle in her eye told me that her mind had been similarly engaged.

The reception lasted long into the night, but the time was not an issue as I kept Sarah closely tucked in my embrace all evening. We moved as one throughout the crowd and danced gracefully to the awe of all around us. Sarah's beauty far surpassed anyone in the room and it was hard for her guests to take their eyes off her. As the evening wound down, a white stretch limousine pulled up to take the bride and groom to "the airport." Sarah gave a tearful goodbye to her family and promised she would be in contact, but, although it was difficult, she was not as upset as she could be—Sarah had long ago cut ties with her family. She was fully ready to begin her new life in the Underground.

So, with the wedding party (sans Toby) tucked into the overgrown vehicle, we left Sarah's past behind to begin our future.

After a few miles, I transported us all back to the castle. Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo were grateful to return to their forms and give Sarah and me the congratulations we were due with their own voices. Sarah was polite, but I was impatient.

"If your new Goblin Queen wills it, "I growled, "you may see her at a later date. However, it is now time to say goodbye." And with that, I transported them to their various homes, and transported us to our "bridal suite"—my old chambers bathed in a brilliant white and colored with a multitude of red roses.

Sarah arched an eyebrow in my direction, but I didn't give her time to speak. Looking deep into her eyes, I stalked forward, taking her in my arms for a passionate kiss. She responded to my urgency with a fiery kiss of her own, surprising me with her intensity.

There was no timidity in the fervor at which she tore at my tuxedo, and I found myself trying to calm _her _down in my desire to love her as delicately as she needed to make her first time as pleasurable as possible. In the end, we complemented each other as if we were one body with two halves. She was made for me, and I was made for her. A perfect fit.

When our need for each other had finally been satiated, Sarah snuggled in close to me, her glossy black hair fanning out across my bare chest before she fell asleep. Staring down at her in contentment, I couldn't help but think that it had all been worth it. All the heartache and pain we'd been through only served to strengthen our natural bond. Would I have loved Sarah still if she had simpered and fell at my feet eager to serve? Probably…but it wouldn't have been nearly as fun.

My Sarah.

My love. My challenger. My friend. My queen.

…

My forever.

.

.

* * *

**A/N: **And it is over! I hope you approved of the ending. Am I the only one who thinks endings are the most difficult things to write? I apologize to any of you who were hoping for some colorful euphemisms relating to various reproductive organs. I have four small children—I figure your imagination is better than mine in that area! (Uh, oh…I hope my husband doesn't choose to read this now! Um…Honey…I only say that because I haven't read any romance novels lately…yeah…that's it…)

So, how many of you caught my minute reference to _Pirates of the Caribbean_? That is absolutely my favorite quote (well, part of it anyway)—I use it all the time :-D. And, just curious…how many of you thought of Billy Idol when Sarah made her request—even though it really had absolutely nothing to do with the scene? Just me? Oh…

I wanted to thank everyone for sticking with me and reading this all the way through. I really hadn't intended to write this much—it was just supposed to be a fun little side excursion for my own enjoyment. I am so glad so many people liked it! :-D. **Thank you so much for your reviews and words of encouragement!** I can't tell you how much it means to me just to get a little note saying you are/were reading—it truly brightens up my whole day.

I am toying with an idea for a sequel—really just toying with it at this point. I feel there are some unresolved issues regarding the Elders that could turn into something more. Especially Torin. He suffered quite a bit of humiliation at Jareth's hands and I don't think that sits well with him. Also, the Elders haven't given up their desire to rid the Underground of the savage goblins. And then, of course, there is our favorite newlyweds…maybe I'll even pull out some of those overused colorful euphemisms…

I would probably write it in 3rd person so I could have other POV's besides Jareth's (not that he isn't fun to write, but I really want to get into Torin's head and I think it's time Sarah had something to say, don't you???) Let me know if you think you'd be interested. If I _did_ end up writing it, you would not see it for at least a few months down the road because I would want to have it mostly done before posting it, so you might want to put me on author alert if you are interested in more of this story.

Anyway…thanks again…I wish you all the best! :-D


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